:01:34. > :01:38.She stepped out of the car and I was expecting her to be in her
:01:38. > :01:42.finery with her crown and I looked at her and I thought, oh, she looks
:01:42. > :01:45.like quite a normal lady really. The first time I met her I said I'm
:01:45. > :01:49.the new Lord Lieutenant and she said, that's obvious. Which it was
:01:49. > :01:59.of course, it was an asinine remark to make. She had been quite moody
:01:59. > :02:01.
:02:01. > :02:08.that day because she had been stuck in traffic. -- I thought she would
:02:08. > :02:15.be quite moody. She told me to toughen up and I thought, oh, God,
:02:15. > :02:25.can't argue with that, especially coming from her. She was lovely to
:02:25. > :02:29.
:02:29. > :02:33.look at. Much more beautiful than perhaps you would think. She was
:02:33. > :02:38.more smiley then I expected and, if it's possible, she was a little
:02:38. > :02:43.more normal. Everyone loves an excuse to party. And what better
:02:43. > :02:46.excuse than the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. But if you ever wondered
:02:46. > :02:49.what the Queen is really like, in this programme we are going to see
:02:49. > :02:59.her Majesty through the eyes of people who have actually met her,
:02:59. > :03:28.
:03:29. > :03:32.people who can say with confidence, She stepped out of the car and I
:03:32. > :03:42.was expecting her to be in her finery with her crown and I looked
:03:42. > :03:42.
:03:42. > :03:46.at her and I thought, oh, she looks like quite a normal lady really. It
:03:46. > :03:48.is June the 3rd 2012 and we are here in Royal Tunbridge Wells
:03:48. > :03:51.celebrating the reign of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
:03:51. > :03:54.Throughout those 60 years she has touched the lives of many people
:03:54. > :03:58.here in the South East but before we meet some of them let's remind
:03:58. > :04:01.ourselves how it all began. A new day dawns. Slowly the first
:04:01. > :04:03.rays of chill light creep across the face of the Royal city,
:04:03. > :04:06.lighting upon thousands huddled along the route.
:04:06. > :04:09.June 2nd, 1953, and the country is poised for the Queen's coronation.
:04:09. > :04:12.Her Majesty had taken the throne the previous year but this was the
:04:12. > :04:15.official ceremony and the country's chance to rejoice. The streets of
:04:15. > :04:19.Brighton were decked out with flags and bunting. It was the biggest
:04:19. > :04:22.celebration since the end of World War Two.
:04:22. > :04:25.The throb of excitement grows for within the Palace the Queen
:04:25. > :04:32.prepares to arrive at Westminster and now to herald her the trumpets
:04:32. > :04:34.ring out. Right across the world 20 million
:04:34. > :04:44.people were watching, crowded around neighbours' new TV sets as
:04:44. > :04:46.
:04:47. > :04:50.the Queen entered Westminster Abbey But for a schoolboy who would later
:04:50. > :04:53.become a head teacher at St Aubyns School in Rottingdean there was no
:04:53. > :04:59.need for a television set because he was right in the middle of the
:04:59. > :05:02.ceremony. Julian James was just 14 years old when he was picked to
:05:02. > :05:08.take part in the Coronation as a page boy and perhaps not
:05:08. > :05:12.surprisingly he was nervous. Terrified. Absolutely terrified. We
:05:12. > :05:19.all were. But somehow you are given an inner strength, I think, on
:05:19. > :05:23.these occasions. We happened to be the line of pages
:05:23. > :05:26.in front of the Queen so we were told to turn around and face her
:05:26. > :05:36.when everybody else was facing the other way. We got a magnificent
:05:36. > :05:42.
:05:42. > :05:45.view and that was a very special Whilst Julian was standing feet
:05:45. > :05:53.from the monarch, many miles away, back in Kent and Sussex, neighbours
:05:53. > :05:56.and friends had gathered to celebrate the crowning of the Queen.
:05:56. > :05:59.They would all be making cakes and jelly and trifle and setting the
:05:59. > :06:08.tables and decorating the windows and flags going and everything like
:06:08. > :06:12.that. So it would have been a very happy time, yes, a very happy time.
:06:12. > :06:15.Joy, seen here in a photo taken on the day of the Coronation in Sussex
:06:15. > :06:19.Terrace in Brighton, was an excited child at the time but she
:06:19. > :06:25.appreciates that for her parents it was more than an excuse to party.
:06:25. > :06:29.It marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. For the
:06:29. > :06:33.adults it was a very sad day when her father died so I think
:06:33. > :06:38.everybody was looking forward to the day she became Queen. Yes, it
:06:38. > :06:43.was hopeful, I think, put it that way. It was giving hope for the
:06:43. > :06:47.future. And people here in the South East
:06:48. > :06:50.had every reason to feel optimistic about the new monarch's reign. Just
:06:51. > :06:54.a few months earlier, during some of the worst flooding seen for
:06:54. > :06:57.decades, her Majesty had already proved her commitment to the region.
:06:57. > :07:03.Kent was one of the areas badly affected and down the Thames came
:07:03. > :07:06.not just floodwater but the new Queen as well. She stopped first
:07:06. > :07:11.briefly in Gravesend to meet those tasked with clearing the area
:07:11. > :07:15.before continuing down the river to Earith. Thousands gathered to see
:07:15. > :07:23.her Majesty arriving at the town hall. Environmental health officer
:07:23. > :07:27.Peter Hickson was there. Because she was new in the job
:07:27. > :07:30.there must have been quite a lot of excitement? Yes. We are talking a
:07:30. > :07:36.young monarch paying a visit here and everybody was pleased that she
:07:36. > :07:45.had taken time off to come here. A great day for them in what was a
:07:45. > :07:47.very traumatic experience. -- just a break for them. The Queen might
:07:47. > :07:52.have been young but she certainly had style.
:07:52. > :07:57.She looked beautiful. She was in a fur coat that shone even in the dim
:07:57. > :08:00.light of the foyer. The mayor of course was with her fair coat but
:08:01. > :08:05.of slightly less quality I think. Very nice but, as fur coats go...
:08:05. > :08:08.You felt you were in the presence of royalty? Oh, yes.
:08:08. > :08:11.There are plenty of photos to remind Peter of the day and of
:08:11. > :08:14.course a signature as well. Signed on 13th February, a short
:08:14. > :08:18.while after the floods, of course, and of course, as always, one
:08:18. > :08:26.signature on one page. Very distinguished book. You remember
:08:26. > :08:29.the signature going in? Absolutely. I was only 8 ft away. For most
:08:29. > :08:33.people who get to meet the Queen it is just a one-off brief encounter
:08:33. > :08:39.but for a Sussex vicar in the 1970s the Queen became an annual fixture
:08:39. > :08:42.at his Sunday services. Reverend Canon Bill Peters was rector at
:08:42. > :08:45.Little Horsted and whether the Queen came to visit Lord Neville
:08:45. > :08:52.she would always insist on going to the service, a service which would
:08:52. > :08:55.be packed out because the local newsagent loved to gossip.
:08:55. > :09:05.When the Queen stayed at Horstead place they ordered an extra
:09:05. > :09:08.
:09:08. > :09:11.newspaper. It was the Sporting Life. The horses, the races, you see. And
:09:11. > :09:21.whenever the newsagent got the order with this extra paper he knew
:09:21. > :09:21.
:09:21. > :09:24.it was the Queen and I think he told, and I don't blame him.
:09:24. > :09:29.Before each service the Queen would walk through the churchyard with
:09:29. > :09:34.Reverend Canon Peters but that was not an easy walk to make.
:09:34. > :09:38.It was a terribly narrow pathway, only room for one person. She had
:09:38. > :09:48.one foot on the asphalt and one on the grass and I used to say, ma'am,
:09:48. > :09:49.
:09:49. > :09:53.you walk on the pathway, I will walk on the grass. But she was
:09:53. > :09:59.lovely, lovely to look at. Much more beautiful than perhaps you
:09:59. > :10:02.would think. And so it was a rather striking
:10:02. > :10:08.queen that would sit in church giving Reverend Canon Peters her
:10:08. > :10:15.full attention as he delivered his sermon. She did listen intensely.
:10:16. > :10:18.She looked at you, which was nice, actually. Quite powerful when
:10:19. > :10:22.somebody looks at you, somebody like that, when you are giving a
:10:22. > :10:31.service? It is always powerful when a pretty girl looks at you, you
:10:31. > :10:33.know. From supporting those in need to
:10:33. > :10:36.communicating with a spiritual leader, it was apparent that the
:10:36. > :10:40.Queen had a great ability to communicate with all classes of
:10:40. > :10:48.society, but her role was not just a personal one, she was also a
:10:48. > :10:51.symbol of growth and change. For every major transport development
:10:51. > :10:58.in the South East the Queen has been there to officially declare it
:10:58. > :11:01.open, starting in 1958 with the newly expanded Gatwick Airport. It
:11:01. > :11:07.was a �7 million expansion intended to take pressure off London Airport
:11:07. > :11:10.by handling one airplane every three minutes. Its control tower is
:11:10. > :11:16.still around, as is one of its former air traffic controllers,
:11:16. > :11:21.Basil Blackwell. Basil was there the day the Queen arrived on the
:11:21. > :11:24.airplane parking area. She came on to the apron and
:11:24. > :11:28.everybody was standing up to attention at the time and she came
:11:28. > :11:38.along and she talked to individuals. It was an important day and I feel
:11:38. > :11:39.
:11:39. > :11:42.like it set the airport up well, from this country's point of view.
:11:42. > :11:52.33 years later, in 1991, the South East saw another major transport
:11:52. > :11:55.
:11:55. > :11:58.development. The Queen Elizabeth II Just take 145,000 cubic metres of
:11:58. > :12:08.concrete, 90,000 tonnes of steel and 48,000 gallons of paint and mix
:12:08. > :12:09.
:12:09. > :12:12.steadily with ingenuity for three years. -- 19,000 tonnes of steel.
:12:12. > :12:15.Then add the final ingredient, the Queen, and you have the official
:12:15. > :12:17.opening of what was at the time Europe's largest cable supported
:12:18. > :12:23.bridge. Also in attendance, BBC Newsroom South East reporter Robin
:12:23. > :12:26.Gibson. So after all the effort the
:12:26. > :12:29.Dartford bridge is up and running smoothly.
:12:29. > :12:35.That was Robin then and this is Robin today. 21 years might have
:12:35. > :12:39.passed but the memory is intact. It was not much of a secret that it
:12:39. > :12:42.was going to be called the Queen Elizabeth bridge but it was a
:12:42. > :12:44.bigger event because the Queen was coming, there was all the security
:12:44. > :12:47.you might expect, possibly even tighter in those days, there were
:12:47. > :12:57.ranks of satellite trucks underneath the bridge, the police
:12:57. > :13:00.were there in force, it was a great big fun day, if you like.
:13:00. > :13:05.A day made even more fun by a queen that seemed to be on particularly
:13:05. > :13:09.humorous form. The extension of the M25 in the
:13:09. > :13:11.1980s has led to ever greater traffic pressure. Perhaps
:13:11. > :13:21.exemplified for many by the familiar radio announcements about
:13:21. > :13:25.the length of the tailback of the Dartford tunnel.
:13:25. > :13:29.She was on form, I mean, she was coming out with quips that perhaps
:13:29. > :13:32.you did not normally get when the Queen made a speech. You expected
:13:32. > :13:34.it to be a bit stuffy and predictable but she was talking
:13:34. > :13:40.about the traffic reports she had heard, knowing that the bridge
:13:40. > :13:44.meant something in the Palace. Was Robin on form? After all it was
:13:45. > :13:48.an official occasion. You think, I am going to get bossed
:13:48. > :13:51.about all day. I will be standing there in a huddle of reporters. But
:13:52. > :13:57.what happens when the Queen turns up is people come out and you see
:13:57. > :14:01.our country having fun. People turn up to see the Queen and of that
:14:01. > :14:06.kind of changes it. It changes the atmosphere, bring out the Queen and
:14:06. > :14:09.out comes Britain. It certainly does. There was no
:14:09. > :14:12.shortage of guests to witness the Queen's opening of the Channel
:14:12. > :14:15.Tunnel at Folkestone in 1994, and come 2005 people turned out in
:14:15. > :14:22.their thousands in Dover when the Queen came to open berths four and
:14:22. > :14:26.five at the docks. Looking on was Alan Willett, at the time Lord
:14:26. > :14:31.Lieutenant of Kent. He was in the post for nine years and it was his
:14:31. > :14:34.office that was responsible for all royal visits. He met the Queen
:14:34. > :14:39.numerous times but it was the first meeting that stands out the most
:14:39. > :14:43.because of a rather cutting remark from her Majesty.
:14:43. > :14:45.The first time I met her I said, I remember saying, because I met her
:14:45. > :14:53.out at Canterbury, upon the barracks there, where she had
:14:53. > :14:59.landed by helicopter. I said, I'm the new Lord Lieutenant. She said,
:14:59. > :15:03.that's obvious. Which it was of course, it was an asinine remark to
:15:03. > :15:08.make. Things might have got off on the
:15:08. > :15:12.wrong foot but they did get better. Obviously you had good days and bad
:15:12. > :15:16.but as time went by things got easier with her and she would start
:15:16. > :15:19.to refer to you as Alan and you were quite relaxed.
:15:19. > :15:23.Allan says that over the years it became obvious what the Queen
:15:23. > :15:27.really liked. You soon learned that what they
:15:27. > :15:34.want, what the royals want, all the royals, is they love a first rate
:15:34. > :15:43.cock-up. They love it. You meet the wrong person and you call people by
:15:43. > :15:49.the wrong names, things like that, they would roar with laughter. She
:15:49. > :15:52.was terribly amused by that. Pretty soon you don't worry, you cease to
:15:52. > :15:55.worry about there being... What they don't want is people being
:15:55. > :16:03.frightfully rigid. They want you to be relaxed and amusing and just
:16:03. > :16:07.sort of chat to them really. Trying to be relaxed and amusing
:16:07. > :16:11.around the Queen is hard enough if you are an adult. What is it like
:16:11. > :16:21.if you are a child? On 11th November of 2011 Harrison was about
:16:21. > :16:24.
:16:24. > :16:30.Harrison lives in Broadstairs and he is like most 11-year-old boys
:16:30. > :16:33.except for one thing, his birthday is special. He was born on the 11th
:16:33. > :16:41.of the 11th in the year 2000, meaning that on 11th November last
:16:41. > :16:45.year he would be 11 years old. If you are the Queen visiting Margate
:16:45. > :16:49.on the 11th of the 11th of the 11th, the chances are you are going to
:16:49. > :16:56.want to meet him. So before he knew it Harrison was at the Turner
:16:56. > :17:01.Gallery waiting for the Queen to arrive, and waiting, and waiting.
:17:01. > :17:09.We were there in the freezing cold just waiting for her to come.
:17:10. > :17:16.she was late? Yeah. On your birthday? Yes, 30 minutes late.
:17:16. > :17:20.That is a bit rude. Yeah. But there was no mistaking when her
:17:20. > :17:23.Majesty did arrive. When the Queen got out of the car
:17:23. > :17:27.she had a pink dress and pink lipstick on and everybody just
:17:27. > :17:30.started screaming. So I was almost deaf that day, there was that much
:17:30. > :17:33.screaming. With his meeting moments away,
:17:33. > :17:39.Harrison was particularly nervous because he was worried the Queen
:17:39. > :17:45.might be in a bit of a grump. I thought she would be quite moody
:17:45. > :17:48.that day because she was stuck in traffic most of the way. And she
:17:49. > :17:55.had too much people trying to, like, have pictures with her, trying to
:17:55. > :18:03.give her flowers, stuff like that. You think that would have put you
:18:03. > :18:07.in a bad mood? Yeah. Really. But he needn't have worried.
:18:07. > :18:13.Prince Philip pointed to me. He said a few words, I see it's your
:18:13. > :18:22.birthday today, how are you? I said, OK. The Queen looked at me and said,
:18:22. > :18:28.happy birthday, and I said thank you, ma'am. Was that it? Yes. And
:18:28. > :18:35.she got into the car and drove off. Quite exciting though. Yeah, really
:18:35. > :18:38.exciting. Best birthday? Yeah, definitely.
:18:38. > :18:42.Harrison has not forgotten the moment and he will not let his
:18:42. > :18:49.family forget either. He did not stop going on about it,
:18:49. > :18:54.before and after. What kind of occasions does he bring it up?
:18:54. > :18:56.we have arguments he will. I met the Queen! He will say that.
:18:56. > :19:02.It sounds like Harrison will not forget the experience. It is
:19:02. > :19:05.unlikely any child would. Michael Shorter will vouch for that. The
:19:05. > :19:10.year was 1962 and the Queen had come to the greyhound stadium in
:19:10. > :19:14.Hove as part of a tour of the area. At the time Michael was 15 years
:19:14. > :19:17.old, a member of the Brighton Boys' Brigade and part of a first aid
:19:17. > :19:27.demonstration that had him laid upon the ground, only able to see
:19:27. > :19:28.
:19:28. > :19:32.the tyres of the royal visitor. -- laid up on the ground.
:19:32. > :19:35.When the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen came by in the Royal Land
:19:35. > :19:39.Rover, I was bandaged up with a splint on my leg, tied up with
:19:39. > :19:42.bandages so I could not move, I was flat on my back. Everybody was
:19:42. > :19:45.standing up and could see and I was lying on the ground swathed in
:19:45. > :19:51.bandages and they actually stopped and said to me something like, I
:19:51. > :19:55.hope they will let you out of that later. I did not think a lot of it
:19:55. > :19:58.to begin with but afterwards you sort of reflect on it and you think,
:19:58. > :20:05.it is a bit of a privilege here that they actually stopped and
:20:05. > :20:07.shared some time with me. If a 15-year-old, Michael, was
:20:07. > :20:15.surprised at the Queen, then nine- year-old Kerry Martin had every
:20:15. > :20:17.reason to be astounded. It was 1994 and she was excited about the
:20:18. > :20:21.opening of her new school conservatory at East church primary
:20:21. > :20:25.full stock she thought it might be nice if the Queen opened it so she
:20:25. > :20:35.wrote her a letter full stop to her Majesty the Queen, I am nine years
:20:35. > :20:42.
:20:42. > :20:45.old and go to Eastchurch Primary School. In September we are having
:20:45. > :20:48.our school extended to enable us to take in more children. Our
:20:48. > :20:52.headteacher has said many times that he is going to write you to
:20:52. > :20:56.see if it will be possible for you to visit the school, so now I am
:20:56. > :20:59.doing it for him. I know you are a very busy person but I wondered if
:20:59. > :21:02.you could come to the opening of our new school building at some
:21:02. > :21:05.time next year. If not yourself, possibly another member of your
:21:05. > :21:08.family. Did you ever think you would get a reply? Definitely not.
:21:08. > :21:10.I was really shocked, really surprised. When the reply came
:21:10. > :21:14.through I was so excited, obviously as a nine-year-old, receiving a
:21:14. > :21:19.letter through the post with the Queen's initials on it and the sign
:21:19. > :21:22.from Buckingham Palace on the top. It was just wonderful.
:21:22. > :21:26.The Queen's office had replied to say that a formal invitation must
:21:26. > :21:29.be sent by the Lord-Lieutenant of Kent. Kerry assumed nothing would
:21:29. > :21:33.come of it but for the first time ever the Queen agreed to visit the
:21:33. > :21:37.Isle of Sheppey. She would be the first monarch to go there since
:21:37. > :21:40.Henry VIII, and so it was that just over a year after Kerry wrote her
:21:40. > :21:44.letter her Majesty was scheduled to arrive at the school and Kerry was
:21:44. > :21:49.going to meet her. But when the Queen came she was not quite what
:21:49. > :21:53.Kerry was expecting. As she pulled in everybody cheered
:21:53. > :21:56.as she stepped out of her car and I think, as the nine-year-old, I was
:21:56. > :22:03.expecting her to be in her finery with a crown and I thought, oh, she
:22:03. > :22:09.looks like quite a normal lady really.
:22:09. > :22:11.Kerry performed her curtsey perfectly and had a quick chat.
:22:11. > :22:14.I just said, welcome to Eastchurch School, your Majesty, as she
:22:14. > :22:17.thanked me for the flowers and asked some general questions really,
:22:17. > :22:25.how are you, are you enjoying your day, before proceeding into the
:22:25. > :22:31.school with the headteacher. As you have grown older, when you
:22:31. > :22:34.see the Queen on the television, is it a special thing? I think so. I
:22:35. > :22:38.think I feel quite happy about it. Watching the Royal Wedding and
:22:38. > :22:48.things like that last year, it felt really nice just to think that
:22:48. > :22:58.
:22:58. > :23:02.actually she has been a part of my She has played a part in the lives
:23:02. > :23:05.of children and adults. She has been there for the opening of
:23:05. > :23:08.airports and even school conservatories, but the Queen has
:23:08. > :23:16.had another, very important role to play in our region, namely as head
:23:16. > :23:19.of the armed forces. It is a role not only her Majesty
:23:19. > :23:23.takes seriously but also those who serve her, as Tilly Lambert
:23:23. > :23:26.discovered when the Queen visited Maidstone barracks in 2011. Tilly
:23:26. > :23:32.was there as the girlfriend of a serving soldier but was surprised
:23:32. > :23:34.at the shift in mood as her Majesty arrived.
:23:34. > :23:40.The car pulled in and I was expecting cheering or something,
:23:40. > :23:43.but it was silent. It was almost eerie, it was almost like everybody
:23:43. > :23:45.knew that she was there, her presence was felt everywhere, and
:23:45. > :23:55.it was fantastic, everybody whispering, oh, she has turquoise
:23:55. > :23:59.on, and look at her shoes. There were a few comments behind me, I
:23:59. > :24:04.like the hat, I wonder where she got it from. As if she had just
:24:04. > :24:07.gone down to BhS and picked it up! But Tilly was even more surprised
:24:07. > :24:10.when during her meeting with the Queen she was given a bit of a
:24:10. > :24:14.talking to. Just as the former Lord Lieutenant of Kent experienced the
:24:14. > :24:19.slightly more sarcastic side of the Queen, Tilly got the tough side as
:24:19. > :24:23.she was asked about her boyfriend. She asked how long he had been away
:24:23. > :24:27.and I said five weeks, but it is not as bad as six months in
:24:27. > :24:30.Afghanistan, and she told me that I had better toughen up and get used
:24:30. > :24:36.to if I wanted an army life. It was fantastic. You weren't expecting
:24:36. > :24:39.that? Definitely not. I got almost slammed by the Queen and she told
:24:39. > :24:47.me to toughen up and I thought, can't argue with that, especially
:24:47. > :24:50.not from the Queen! Did it come across as rude or just kind advice?
:24:50. > :24:54.A bit of both, really, you don't expect the Queen to say something
:24:54. > :25:02.like that but it was with a little smile like that so you knew the
:25:02. > :25:06.right reasons were there. Meeting the Queen is perhaps easier
:25:06. > :25:13.if you are in familiar surroundings, but what is it like to meet her on
:25:13. > :25:15.her own patch? Namely, Buckingham Palace. Last year that is exactly
:25:15. > :25:18.what a Brighton-based former England women's captain, Clare
:25:18. > :25:24.Connor, did when she had lunch with the Queen and nine other invited
:25:24. > :25:30.guests, including a rather famous Formula One racing driver. --
:25:30. > :25:33.cricket captain. I arrived at the same time as Lewis
:25:33. > :25:36.Hamilton, which was fantastic, and we walked in together and he was
:25:36. > :25:43.clearly really nervous. He was like an eight-year-old boy, it was so
:25:43. > :25:46.funny, he was visibly quaking. And that kind of put me at ease a bit.
:25:46. > :25:49.If Clare and Lewis were nervous that lunch was going to be awkward,
:25:49. > :25:53.they needn't have worried. The Queen clearly knew how to make her
:25:53. > :25:56.guests feel at ease. When they arrived, where we were
:25:56. > :25:59.having drinks, the Queen arrived with Prince Philip and three of the
:25:59. > :26:03.corgis and that immediately made you think, this feels relaxed, this
:26:03. > :26:10.is her at home almost, this is her in her territory, and making us
:26:10. > :26:14.feel relaxed. A couple of drinks arrived for her and Prince Philip
:26:14. > :26:18.so there was the gin and Dubonnet in the little tumbler. And I think
:26:18. > :26:20.half a bitter for him, which I thought was funny. They took their
:26:20. > :26:24.drinks and immediately started mingling before lunch and there was
:26:24. > :26:27.immediately that real that sense of, well, this is just lovely, this is
:26:27. > :26:29.being hosted by the most wonderful figurehead in our country, but she
:26:29. > :26:33.is talking to us, immediately connecting with us, and the corgis
:26:33. > :26:43.were kind of yapping around and she was there with a drink and it was
:26:43. > :26:46.
:26:46. > :26:49.just the most surreal experience. After drinks the guests sat at an
:26:49. > :26:53.oval table with Clare next to Prince Philip and the Queen sitting
:26:53. > :26:58.opposite with Lewis Hamilton. Being used to high-pressure situations,
:26:58. > :27:01.his early nerves had disappeared. He was now confident to start
:27:01. > :27:04.bantering with the Queen about driving.
:27:05. > :27:08.He had literally just flown in from, I think, the Brazilian Grand Prix,
:27:09. > :27:16.and he asked her what car she drove, and she said, a big range Rover of
:27:16. > :27:22.course to fit all of the corgis in. You don't imagine her driving, do
:27:22. > :27:26.you? She has people to get behind the wheel for her, so that was a
:27:26. > :27:29.nice touch, to hear that she would bundle the corgis in and go for a
:27:29. > :27:32.nice drive in the countryside. Clare had had the rare opportunity
:27:32. > :27:35.to see the Queen in her home environment and it is an afternoon
:27:35. > :27:38.she will never forget. As I left and I walked up to
:27:38. > :27:42.Victoria Station I thought, wow, that is just one for the memory box
:27:42. > :27:50.because that is, you know, just very very special and I felt very
:27:50. > :27:54.Those who have met the Queen have discovered her Majesty is a woman
:27:54. > :27:59.with many sides to her character. She can be kind and patient but she
:27:59. > :28:03.can also be tough on you at times and even a little sarcastic. So,
:28:03. > :28:08.while she might live in a palace and wear a crown, it turns out the
:28:08. > :28:12.Queen is not so different from you and I.
:28:12. > :28:15.She has had the same challenges as we have had in the community with
:28:15. > :28:22.our own families and she has been faithful to us as a person who
:28:22. > :28:26.governs and we look up to her. does a lot for this country, I
:28:26. > :28:29.think she is a very nice woman. think she is absolutely amazing
:28:29. > :28:33.really for her age. Watching her on the television today I thought was
:28:33. > :28:37.just fabulous. She is a fantastic role model, she has been great for
:28:37. > :28:47.the country and I am not alone in wishing that all the best a 60
:28:47. > :28:48.
:28:48. > :28:53.Elisabeth crowned their head of a great family of nations. Long may
:28:53. > :28:56.she reign. It has been a long and eventful
:28:56. > :28:59.reign but if you have ever wondered what has driven her Majesty to
:28:59. > :29:02.continue in her role, spare a moment to consider the thoughts of
:29:02. > :29:08.the former Lord Lieutenant of Kent, a man with his own unique take on
:29:08. > :29:12.our Queen. She sort of grows on you really. I
:29:12. > :29:16.think it is her sense of duty which makes her what she is and she tries