Ainsley Harriott The Day I Met the Queen

90 years ago, our longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II,

was born.

Since then, millions of us have met her, and many have got close.

You're having a good old stare at the Queen, aren't you?

We had a good view of her!

But how well do we know her?

She is on our stamps and she's on our coins and she's in our hearts.

This is Her Majesty as you've never seen her before.

Good Queen hair you've got going on there!

I was completely paralysed as this amazing icon walked over my gangway.

A people's portrait of the Queen.

She wasn't there doing a job,

she was there because she was genuinely concerned.

This is your main workshop now, then?

In this series, it's handbags at dawn for John Craven.

And what... It's obviously leather. Ah, ah! Oh, can I not touch it?

Oh, look at them!

Carol Kirkwood meets a pint-sized pony

who munched on Her Majesty.

No, bless him. Did the Queen think it was funny?

She thought it was hilarious. She knows Shetlands, so she knows they've got a mind of their own.

As for me, I'm in the most densely populated part of Britain.

It's a place that I like to call home, and so does our Queen.

Today, I'm in London and the south-east -

where the Queen's official residence, Buckingham Palace,

attracts over 400,000 visitors annually.

'Even though it's only open for eight weeks of the year!'

Like me, our Queen was born in London,

in fact, she was born just over there in Bruton Street.

It's no longer a house, it's a Chinese restaurant!

Let's hope it's a good one!

Here in the capital, we're used to seeing the formal Queen.

From the grandest of occasions like her Coronation...

..to her grandson Prince William's wedding...

..and the annual Trooping of the Colour.

You know, the Queen still carries out more than 400 visits

across Britain every year,

and if you throw in the fact that she does a few global trips abroad,

then you begin to understand how busy she is.

She gets to meet world leaders and our biggest stars

but also spends time with ordinary folk.

And that's what I want to do today, I want to get up close

and personal to her people,

just to get to know them a little bit better,

because they've been lucky enough to meet our Queen.

And I'm sure London's East Enders won't be lost for words.

She's absolutely brilliant, she's what Britain's all about.

She's lovely, I like the hats,

I like the way how she dresses, you know, and she's very...

calm, you know, how she comes across. Yeah, that's our Queen!

You know. Yeah.

She seems kind, calm, relaxing all the time,

yeah, all the time, especially always laughing.

I think she's a fantastic lady,

she's served this country absolutely fantastic.

I wish her a happy birthday

and my daddy's coming up to 99 in April,

if she ever decides to look for a new man, he's there for her!

I'd just like to say happy birthday to the Queen, love her!

I love my city, London, you know, it's such a wonderful

sort of cultural mix of people who live, work and play here.

But how often do we stop and think about the role the Queen plays

when the country is suffering, as it did in 2005?

On one dark day that summer, something terrible happened

that affected every Londoner - worker and tourist alike.

It sent shock waves around Britain and across the world.

7th July 2005 -

it's a date that has become etched in the national consciousness

because it was the time that terrorists planted four bombs

in the very heart of London's public transport system,

with just devastating results.

Now, I certainly remember where I was at the time.

I was receiving e-mails from friends all over world

concerned about my safety.

And I was safe, but what about my family, what about my friends,

what about the fellow Londoners who use public transport every day

to travel to work or just to go about their business?

52 innocent people were killed and 770 injured

when bombs exploded on one London bus and three Tube trains.

7/7 shocked the capital, its residents and our Queen -

and became the worst single terrorist atrocity committed on British soil.

Driver Steve Eldridge was on duty at Aldgate Station

when he heard a blast.

The day started off normally.

All of a sudden there was this almighty explosion

that came from the direction of the tunnel.

What did you think had happened, when you heard that,

did you think there'd been a collision of trains or what?

Well, I said to Paul, my colleague, "What was that?"

And I think we both knew what it was

but didn't want to admit it to ourselves, really.

It was rush hour when the bomb detonated on the Circle Line

train travelling east to Aldgate.

We looked in the direction of the tunnel and all of a sudden

all this smoke came bellowing out.

But by then, a couple of people started to come out of the tunnel

and they were covered in blood.

So, we decided we had to go down into the tunnel.

Didn't you think something... another bomb might have been there?

As you said, you couldn't see anything.

Well, if we didn't go down nobody was ever going to go down there.

Three men and four women took the full force of the bomb

and died on the Aldgate train.

Many who survived had life-changing injuries.

I got to car two and that was where the bomb had gone off.

What was that like?

Was it just...

The whole of the side of the train had been blown out completely.

We went to car three then because we couldn't see any sign of life

in car two and everybody was climbing the windows,

really, needing to get out.

Oh, my word.

Because their carriage was completely full of smoke.

So our priority was to try and get some air in to that carriage.

Steve and his colleagues bravely helped passengers to safety.

A few years later, the Queen visited Aldgate Station

in tribute to the victims of the tragedy.

She also wanted to mark the courage of people who rallied around

that day.

Steve and fellow driver Les were invited to a special lunch

at the Gherkin building nearby.

We went over to the Gherkin, we went in and there was five tables

in like a semicircle, five round tables. Yes.

And there was name places.

So, the middle table, just inside the door,

was where Her Majesty was going to be sitting.

Were you sitting next to Her Majesty?

And we looked at each other and there's our names.

On this middle table. How fantastic, Steve!

So I sat directly opposite Her Majesty.

How did that feel, looking at her for all that time,

because you sat there for the entire lunch?

Yes, it was surreal.

Did you take any photographs that day, Steve?

Well, we didn't know what the etiquette was,

so we didn't take any pictures.

But I did take one at the end, just after she'd left, of our table.

That's Her Majesty's glass

that she used, with her favourite tipple in it,

and that I believe was gin and Dubonnet.

That is fantastic.

What a wonderful memory. It was, it was special.

But, you know, for a special person. Yes, well...

What you did, mate, walking back into that tunnel,

with all that smoke and everything else.

Well, we only did what anybody else would do.

I think you did more than that. That's brilliant, my man, brilliant.

You know, I have to say it's really sobering just

standing here very close to where the bomb went off on 7/7

and it just makes me realise how courageous Steve was as a man,

you know, to be able to go back into that tunnel

to rescue all those people - wow, pretty amazing.

The Queen met heroes like Steve

and she also met some of the 7/7 survivors.

On the day of the bombings, most of the injured at Aldgate

were taken to the Royal London Hospital,

and I'm meeting one of them here.

Hey, Bruce, how are you, mate?

I'm good, thanks, Ainsley. Nice to meet you.

'Bruce Lait was on his way to a rehearsal with his dancing partner

'and was sitting in carriage two of the Aldgate Tube

'when the bomb went off.'

What was it like for someone like you who was actually on the Tube?

Well, basically, my day started with me coming to rehearse

for a show that I was in.

And also it was the day we were granted the Olympics in 2012.

So, I sat on the train, I opened the Metro newspaper,

and I was looking at it and I was reading about us getting the Olympics,

and I thought, "Wow, fantastic!"

And then before I know it, I was out cold

and I didn't really know what had gone on.

I kept telling myself, "Wake up, wake up."

And all of a sudden I came to, I woke up, and then I realised

there was this person lying on top of me

and there was twisted metal wrapped around my legs.

And...

So you were quite close to the explosion to have that impact?

Literally, virtually on top of you.

Yeah, I mean, the hard thing to deal with

is that between me and the bomber there were people.

And people had to die so that I could live, basically.

How does that make you feel, Bruce?

Do you just go through...it wasn't my time. What goes through...

Yeah, basically, it wasn't my time,

and it was a very hard thing to come to terms with

because if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here right now,

and why me?

Why was I special, why did I have to live and someone else had to die?

It was a really hard thing to deal with.

With the whole world reeling from the devastating attacks,

just one day after the bombing,

the Queen came to visit the injured in hospital.

Bruce was one of the survivors chosen to meet her.

You were in one of the trains?

Yes, I was in the train that went from Old Street to Aldgate.

What did you say to her, Bruce?

Well, she asked me some questions, you know, she asked me what I did,

and where was I going,

and I told her I was off to London to rehearse for a show that we

were in.

Legs all right?

Yes, legs are fine, just the facial injuries.

And I can't hear out of this ear, which is why I'm...

No. I've got a burst eardrum.

The one thing that came across about the Queen to me

was that she wasn't there doing a job.

She was there because she was genuinely concerned.

And I thought that was the most striking thing about that meeting.

Well, I hope the dancing will still be able to continue. Oh, it will.

Definitely an honour. Yeah. Definitely an honour.

Well, I'm sure the Queen's kind words would help anyone

get back on their feet.

Bruce did keep on dancing

and he now coaches the Strictly stars of the future from

his dance school in Ipswich.

'This is for you, Ma'am - Bruce's birthday cha-cha-cha!'

One, two, three, cha-cha-cha...two, three.

Cha-cha-cha!

AINSLEY LAUGHS

There's nine million people who live in my city

and anyone could have been on that train or that Tube.

7/7 really rocked London, it rocked the world.

It made us all realise that terrorism is a nasty, nasty thing

and for people like Steve and Bruce

however sobering that might be for them, to have our Queen come

and just touch them, just to kind of recognise the fact

that they are special people that have survived, you know,

it's just remarkable.

When the Queen was crowned in 1953, she pledged her devotion

not just to the United Kingdom but also to the Commonwealth.

And with regular visits to its 53 nations,

she is a unique symbol of unity at its heart.

After the war, people from all over the Commonwealth were

encouraged to come and work in the United Kingdom.

Among them were my Jamaican parents, Chester and Peppy.

'Today, I've invited my sister Jacqueline over to my place.

'We grew up knowing the Queen was a very special person.'

My mum and dad were two of nearly 500,000 people

who came from the Commonwealth, just after World War II,

probably around about the time of the 1950s, to live in Great Britain.

For them, Britain was truly great,

and that was very much down to our Queen.

And, Sis, we've got some fantastic memories here,

not only have we got these wonderful commemorative coins,

but looking back here, look at that, for instance, Dad.

And of course, Mother - well, she responded to the call,

and came up to train as nurse.

So many came from the Commonwealth. Absolutely.

Were the streets paved in gold, do you think, what was the attraction?

I think it was more an opportunity to progress themselves.

They felt that Britain was the country where you could have a good life. Absolutely.

'And it was our late mother who instilled a healthy respect

'for Her Majesty into my sister and me.'

There's our lovely mum. She was a big royalist, wasn't she? She was.

Big, big love of the Queen. She looks rather regal there.

Yes, she had poise and dignity.

I just remember, Christmas time,

every time there was the Queen's Speech,

we all just sort of had to pay attention.

Mum had this thing and we didn't eat until after the Queen's Speech.

I was just going to say. We had to hold out till after three o'clock

when the Queen's Speech was on.

We would all gather around the television.

There's a certain amount of respect we have. Absolutely.

And for what she's done for the country

and I think our parents, certainly our mum,

really recognised that.

'I always wanted to meet our Queen, maybe because of my dear old mum.

'So I was very excited

'when I got a little closer as a young chef in the '80s.

'On more than one occasion, I got asked to cook for

'Princess Margaret, and her sister would sometimes pop in for lunch.'

Now, Sis. Yes, dear.

I know this looks rather bland but this is the type of thing I would

serve if I went to cook for Princess Margaret at Kensington Palace.

'And for the Queen and her sister, I'd knock up dishes like this

'simple combo of cod, mash, cabbage and bacon.'

Not too much of the spice?

Not too much spice, but the great thing...

You know, I was able to cook for Princess Margaret

and of course her sister, the Queen.

That's it - food fit for a Queen!

Fresh, clean, very nice.

'I may have tickled her taste buds in the '80s

'but I didn't get to meet the Queen

'till I was well established as a TV chef.'

40 seconds! Yeah, all right, Fern. Quiet!

LAUGHTER

In 2006, I was invited to meet the Queen face-to-face,

at a celebrity charity lunch for Age UK.

I remember the Queen's equerry coming up and saying,

"Would you like to meet Her Majesty?"

Sis, my legs just started to shake.

Jellied eels!

Jellied legs! "Yes, please," you know.

I don't know why because when I did meet her, oh,

instantly she just made you feel comfortable.

I just remember her saying, "And we know what you do."

And at that moment I wanted our mum to be there

because she'd have felt so proud.

The Queen watched my son on television.

She'd have told everybody at the ambulance headquarters.

She'd have told church, she'd have told everybody.

The whole neighbourhood.

Everything.

And she said, "We know what you do."

And she said, "Do they really accomplish that in that time?"

She was amazed that the chefs could actually cook food of that quality in that time.

You know what, Mum would have been so, so proud.

As it turns out, my taxi driver, Alan Cohen, has a rather splendid

royal yarn of his own.

Now, Alan, you've met the Queen, haven't you?

Yep. I'm on the London Taxi Driver's Fund

for Underprivileged Children.

'Alan and his fellow cabbies

'wanted to take the kids on the trip of a lifetime.

'So he wrote a letter to the Palace to ask if they could pop in and meet the Queen.'

Next thing I know - no mobile phones then -

my wife got a phone call saying Buckingham Palace here, she said,

"Don't mess about," and put the phone down.

The gentleman phoned back and said, "Please don't do that, Mrs Cohen, everybody does that to me.

"Please can you get Alan to phone me?" Which I did do.

And he said, "It's on!"

On 7th June 1988, a convoy of 120 taxis

took over 300 disadvantaged and special needs kids

for their big day out.

And Alan here was in the driving seat.

Right, it's the drive programme. 9.15, we've got to leave.

So tell me, what happened on the day, Al?

Well, we met up in a place called Beaumont Square, Stepney Green.

And we had all the cabs lined up decorated with balloons

and bunting and God knows what.

All the kids arrived there, we got them all in the cabs.

And we set off in convoy, right the way through the City.

The Lord Mayor of London took the salute outside the Mansion House.

We went past St Paul's, along the Strand, into The Mall,

and the cabs formed up on the hard shoulder on one side of The Mall.

We took a whole party of 700 into the forecourt.

Oh. And they watched the Changing The Guard

and that's never been done before.

Good morning, boys and girls.

Can I first of all welcome you all to the forecourt of Buckingham Palace?

They had a garrison sergeant major

and he got everybody to form up in a square around the door.

And the Queen came out.

She went round all of us, walked round, welcomed everybody,

had a chat with everybody.

She puts you at your ease, it's a very strange feeling.

You think you're going to be a bundle of nerves but you're not really.

Three cheers for Her Majesty the Queen. Hip-hip.

ALL: Hooray!

Hip-hip. Hooray!

It was just unreal.

What a day, Alan, what a fantastic day.

Brilliant. Brilliant, brilliant.

Alan's dropping me off near Buckingham Palace.

When the Queen's in residence, Londoners and visitors

gather round here in their droves.

Millions turned out for her Coronation in 1953,

lining the procession route from the Palace to Westminster Abbey.

Everyone desperate for a glimpse of the new Queen.

I'm here to meet an amazing couple who waited up all night to catch

a glimpse of the new monarch, right here on The Mall.

But they ended up with more than they bargained for!

Audrey, Ralph! How are you doing? Lovely to see you!

Hello, Ralph, how are you doing? What's it like being back on The Mall after all these years?

63 years.

63 years ago! Yeah.

We've been married 60 years. 63 years, we met here.

And this is exactly where you met.

More or less, it would in this part here where we met.

How did it all come about? How did you first...

My friend was bringing his girlfriend up for the Coronation.

But he said he had a friend of his girlfriend

who wanted someone to join to make a four, so I said,

"That's all right, I don't mind doing that."

It was a blind date, really. It was a blind date, wasn't it?

So there was no-one in your life at that stage?

Oh, no. Not really...

Oh, not really?! First time you've heard that, isn't it, Ralph?!

On the night of 1st June,

three million people lined the streets to catch

a glimpse of their new Queen.

Like many others, Audrey and Ralph camped out all night.

The boys bought some blankets,

and we brought odds and ends of food.

Yeah, it was really exciting.

So we came and bagged our pitch the afternoon before, didn't we?

Yeah. So what was in the sandwiches?

Oh, jam!

Oh, jam! Ha-ha!

As that procession went past

did it take your breath away, did you feel a bit...

Oh, yes, yeah, I mean I'd never seen anything of the Royal Family

before, so to see them going down here with

all their regalia as well, was something special.

By which time it was pouring with rain,

and the carriages were closed, apart from the one.

The Queen of Tonga. It was absolutely throwing

it down with rain and she was still there in the open carriage. Wow.

There was always something to watch wasn't there, really?

Throughout the day, early morning. And the night, things

happening all through the night. It was during the night it was announced along The Mall

somebody came along and said they'd conquered Everest, of course!

It was a wonderful occasion, really.

Well, I've got a little bit of a surprise for you guys.

I just went and picked those up.

Oh!

Sandwiches, jam sandwiches.

Jam sandwiches.

The important thing was the tin

because when the procession came back I got a better view...

..by standing on the tin.

Ha-ha! Come on, let's wave together then, Ralph.

There she goes, look!

Still love him do you? I do, yes.

Still love her?

Tell her so every day. Really?

Yeah, he does, actually, he does, every day.

Aw. I think a little bit of congratulations is in order

because it wouldn't have happened, your meeting,

without that Coronation that day.

Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday, Ma'am. And many thanks for bringing us together

and giving us 60 years of happy marriage.

Thank you. Making me cry!

You're making me get emotional!

And they're still going strong -

just like the Queen and Prince Philip,

who'll celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary this year.

I'm heading across London now to find out more about another

enduring love of the Queen's life - corgis, of course!

She's kept them ever since was a little girl

and they've been her devoted companions ever since.

And there's no better place than Battersea to find out

more about our four-legged friends.

Battersea Dogs Home is the temporary home to 8,000 abandoned or

unwanted pets that come here every year.

Since it first opened in 1860, Battersea found something like

three million homes for those animals.

It's also very close to our Queen's heart as she's

been the patron here for the past 60 years.

And last year, she opened

a brand-new kennel block.

Claire Horton was in charge that day.

I'd love to show you, if you'd like to come and have a look round.

I'm delighted, I really am, and being a dog lover - I've got a golden Labrador at home,

which was a bit of a rescue dog.

They make a home, don't they? Oh, completely.

So, come on, then, how exciting was it having Her Majesty here?

It was amazing, it was the best day for everyone.

We had three months of planning, to the most minute detail,

and everyone was so excited.

Of course, it was an opportunity for me to get a new outfit, shoes...all very important!

And who have we got here?

This is Chewy. Oh, lovely. Hello, Chewy. How are you?

While Claire and her team were busy preparing, just two days

before the Queen was due to visit, a rather special dog turned

up on the Battersea website, which caught the eye of pet lover Sally.

What were you actually looking for?

We were looking for a retired dog,

fairly small dog, because we have a small terraced house.

And there was a little corgi sitting there called Beamer, and I thought,

"Well, he looks ever so sweet."

And, yes, he could live with cats, he can live in the city, and he's older.

He was 11, so we thought, he sounds ideal.

And then what happened?

You got your perfect dog but it didn't all go according to plan?

No, it didn't, indeed. Went on the website the next day, just to check the details,

so I could tell them when I ring up, and he'd disappeared.

He wasn't on the site any more.

Little did Sally know,

Beamer had been reserved for a royal appointment.

Back in Battersea, the Queen's visit was finally upon them.

Every dog was standing by to meet the Queen, tails wagging in anticipation.

Can you remember what did you actually do

for the royal visit?

So, the Queen and Prince Philip and Prince Michael all arrived here -

all of the crowds were waiting.

And they met the Battersea - renowned Battersea -

doggy guard of honour.

Ooh. And here they all are now.

This is what you've put on for me today. Absolutely.

For royalty. For royalty, Ainsley! I feel very royal!

And then, of course, the Queen came

through, she met all of these dogs.

The first thing she did was go and speak to one of the lovely dogs over there and said hello.

And they were so well behaved. Wonderful.

Everyone was smiling, everyone was beaming,

and a once-in-a-lifetime occasion for most people - couldn't believe it!

I must introduce you to Woody, who actually met the Queen.

And, of course, Milly and Molly.

It was an amazing experience, obviously this is reliving

part of that again but this time without the red carpets.

Obviously, the dogs got more of a show than we did,

but that's understandable, it's what we're here for. Absolutely!

Hi, guys. You met the Queen, too, yes, you did, I know you did.

The Queen met everyone from handlers to vets,

and their dogs.

But they saved the best for last.

Wow.

And here he is. This is Beamer.

Hello! Hello.

Beamer the corgi was waiting patiently for his appointment with the Queen.

We couldn't believe that he had come in,

it was absolute genuine coincidence.

How rare is it that you get corgis in here?

So rare, we really don't get very many at all, maybe one a year.

And the timing was perfect,

he could not have chosen a better day to come,

because there he was.

Did he sit still? Or was he a little bit anxious?

He was quite a lot heavier than he is now,

and so he was less energetic but he was perfectly well behaved.

Aren't you lucky, you got the royal seal of approval, you lucky boy!

And a few days after Beamer had performed his royal duty,

Sally was finally able to adopt her Battersea corgi.

Yes, we're talking about you!

We do often have slightly strange things happen to us,

and having a dog that met the Queen seemed to fit in with us, yes.

The most important thing, Sally, is that you got your dog in the end.

We did, and he's absolutely lovely, we love having him

and he's happy with us now, he's well settled in.

Settled into the family, including the cats. Including the cats.

Good boy, aren't you, darling?

Do you know, it's so apparent that Her Majesty gains

so much pleasure from seeing these dogs find new homes

and we are a nation of dog lovers.

I'm a dog lover and so is she.

The Queen has lots in common with us,

living through the same highs and lows.

From the Olympic Games to the Second World War,

when many Londoners felt the impact of the wartime bombings.

Including a very young girl called Elizabeth Hyde.

It was 1943, during the war, and I got hit by shrapnel,

and my mother was also hit.

We was taken across to Lewisham Hospital, where

the Queen Mother was visiting the hospital at the time during the war.

She gave me... This is the picture of her when she visited me.

She gave me two bananas which were brought back by Lord Mountbatten

for the princesses - and the princess asked her mother to bring them in for the children

in the hospital.

She gave me two, one for me,

and one for my younger sister,

who didn't particularly like bananas,

when she tried them, and she's never liked them since!

65 years later, when the Queen, now grown up,

came to visit a hospital in Norfolk, Betty got a chance to meet her

and return the gesture.

She was quite tickled

when I gave her the bananas.

She's got a nice smile, hasn't she?

She said to me how rare it was to get bananas at that time, which is

quite true, it was.

And I just thanked her for sending them in for the children.

I think the Queen Mother was very much a people's person,

and I think the Queen is much the same, she's not snobbish.

I hope she lives a few more years yet - it would be nice

if she lived as long as her mum.

With three royal residences in the region, the Queen spends

a lot of time in the south-east.

From Norfolk,

to Dover,

from the South Downs,

to Canterbury,

she's visited so much of this beautiful part of the country.

Just last year, she was at Canterbury Cathedral

for an historic event

and was presented with her latest portrait - carved out of stone!

A great cheer went up from the Cathedral community as

the statues were unveiled.

And then Her Majesty said something like - because

it's very new stone on the old stone - something like,

"I'm sure we'll soon tone down!"

Meaning, the statues will age with the stone here.

And everyone laughed.

For her long service to the nation,

the Queen was honoured with this statue

and the Queen herself takes time to pay tribute to others.

Across the years, the Queen has recognised the extraordinary work

of her subjects and has awarded hundreds of thousands

of honours to people who've just done the most incredible work.

Last year, she set up the Queen's Young Leader Award.

It's given to exceptional young people across the Commonwealth,

who are invited to a week of leadership events

including one at London's BT Tower.

That's where I'm meeting two exceptional award winners.

PJ. Hello. How you doing?

Nkechi, can I give you a kiss? What a pleasure it is...

Can't I get a kiss? Here we go!

Get a hug, because what you guys have done has just been amazing.

'PJ, from Sierra Leone, and Nkechi, from Nigeria,

'are two of the 60 young winners to be personally

'commended by the Queen for taking the lead in their communities.'

Here we are, we're in London, but you did amazing things

in your own back garden, didn't you? Tell me a little bit about that.

So, I started the Sickle Cell Aid Foundation with

a group of young, amazing people in Nigeria.

Sickle-cell anaemia is a life-threatening hereditary blood

disorder most common in people of African descent.

Across the world, it's thought to affect half a million babies.

Nkechi's foundation reaches out to

communities in Nigeria to raise awareness and offer practical help.

For Nkechi, it's a very personal story.

My twin sister has sickle-cell disorder, so I watched her

grow up with it, and I watched what she went through -

numerous times in hospital,

being on life support for a long period.

I see her go through all of this and she's always still positive,

and always says, "I don't want to die, I don't want to die."

That in itself inspired me to start this.

I've got friends who suffer from sickle cell and I just feel why

haven't we done something, we've been talking about this for too long?

In Nigeria, trying to find that help is not easy at all,

it's quite difficult.

So you meet with these people, you interact with them,

and the next thing you know, they are no more.

And you are like, "OK, how do we deal with this?"

So for us it's a challenge.

Still, it's fantastic what you're doing,

you've just got to keep that going.

Tell us about what you've been up to, PJ, another remarkable story.

Thank you.

So I work for Lifeline Nehemiah Projects and Lifeline Network

and it was founded by my father originally as a means of rescuing

child soldiers.

What he had in his mind was that the young people in

Sierra Leone would be the ones that need to be invested in to rebuild the nation in years to come.

PJ has built on the good work his father started.

His organization now employs those ex-child soldiers

to lead community projects all across Sierra Leone.

And to see former child soldiers, who many would say had no hope,

doing that right now is a remarkable achievement.

PJ and Nkechi and the other young leaders won a year's mentoring,

with the cherry on top being the chance to meet Her Majesty herself.

Everyone was just overwhelmed by it, it really gave us

that additional boost that we wanted.

We carry on the work that we do, and you don't imagine

that you're going to get these kind of opportunities.

Nkechi Azinge, from Nigeria.

What was it like for you to meet the Queen, then?

Um, I would say it was an overwhelming experience

like I was basically blown away!

Because it was something that I had always thought about

but I never imagined that I would ever meet her.

PJ Cole, from Sierra Leone.

When I was standing there waiting to go and collect the award,

I'm thinking, "Am I going to trip?"

PJ and Nkechi didn't leave empty-handed -

they came away with their own crown jewel!

Oh, wow - there she is in all her glory.

Yes. Feel proud, you can show your children, your grandchildren, whatever it is.

And it's her award.

She created it... She created it. ..for brilliant people like yourselves.

That was just so, so, inspiring, two young people who

almost brought me to tears for what they've actually achieved.

It makes one realise how important the Commonwealth is to us here in

Britain, and how important it is to our Queen that she recognises that

they are doing such inspirational work in their countries.

It's just wonderful, truly wonderful. Long, long may it continue.

At the age of 90, most of us, if we get that far, would be

taking life a little bit easier.

But our Queen is still one of the busiest monarchs in the world.

Nearly 90?! Wow, and she's still in heels?!

I wish her a very, very happy birthday, Ma-am.

So we say happy birthday to our Queen. Happy birthday, Queen!

# Happy birthday to you

ALL: # Happy birthday to you

# May God bless you, our Queen

# Happy birthday to you. #

We all love you, God bless you.

Wish you a wonderful birthday and many more to come.

She serves the country and Commonwealth in so many ways,

but who looks after her?

I'm on my way to Windsor to meet someone who served Her Majesty

and her much-loved horses for most of his working life.

KNOCK ON DOOR

Michael, how are you? All right.

For an incredible 47 years,

Michael Norris has worked with the Queen's stud horses.

She visited the stud several times a year,

so they've got to know each other rather well.

Oh, wow. You can't help but notice...

That was a nice summer's day, the Queen came round to look at the horses.

If you look at her shoes,

they've gone a bit yellow cos there was a lot of buttercups in the paddock.

She looks so relaxed there. Is that her own personal horse there?

Yes, her own personal, her own riding horse.

No-one else rode her horse, only the Queen.

The Queen has grown up loving horses,

but she has a particular passion for breeding thoroughbreds for racing.

Just how much does the Queen actually love racing?

It's her life, I think, she just loves it. Loves everything about it.

We were told that she just has the Racing Post, the only paper she looks at is the Racing Post.

Really?!

And there was all of us thinking it's got to be the Telegraph or the Times.

It's the Racing Post, how wonderful!

Studying the form.

Studying the form and looking at them.

She don't carry money, I believe, or have a bet

but she loves to see them win.

You can see it in her face -

she lights up when she's with horses.

Michael was employed by the Queen until he retired 12 years ago

with some fond memories.

It used to be lovely, we'd walk around the paddock, the Queen and me,

just walking round, it was wonderful.

Two or three hours and nobody knew she was there, even.

Sure, sure. I talk with people and everyone says, "I just felt so comfortable with her."

She made you feel you were the only person...

Yeah, that she was talking to.

That's the lovely thing about it - not just that,

you got invited to all the lovely dos, dances at Buckingham Palace.

Was your wife happy about that?

Oh, yeah, they have to have new outfits, don't they?!

New outfit and then...

We do it all the time, you know, like anything at Windsor,

weddings, even the Queen Mother's funeral, was invited to that.

It's almost like that personal inside information

that none of us really know.

This is the great thing about going round and talking to people

about Her Majesty, is that special relationship.

That's it, people don't know, do they?

No, they don't.

You don't tell everybody, do you? So...

When you look back at your life, would you change anything?

I wouldn't change anything, no, never.

Loved every minute of it, my job.

If I died now, I've had a great life working for Her Majesty.

Had the best boss in world, didn't I?

That's wonderful, thank you.

Well, I have to say that until today I never quite realised just how

many people, from so many different walks of life,

have met our Queen.

Her words have resonated with them,

she makes them instantly feel comfortable.

My mum always said to me, "Ains, she's a special, special lady."

And, of course, Mum's always right.

But for today, and my experiences that I've had, she's right.

She means so much to all of us.