By Robert Hudson Westover
Like most families with Anglo-Saxon roots we Westovers grew up with a profound respect for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. I mean mom had several coffee table books celebrating the British Royal Family! And, when in the early 1980s, my brother, Mark, got to “sign” both Queen Elizabeth and Philip, the Prince Consort (her husband) onto the backlot of 20th Century Fox the family was impressed with such a brush with “The Queen!”
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| Letter sent to me from Buckingham Palace |
Years later, I co-authored a book about the ocean liner SS United States and sent the Queen a copy to which I received a reply from one of her Ladies-in-Waiting on Buckingham Palace letterhead telling me how “Her Majesty” was interested in learning about the plight of the great American ship that took the Transatlantic speed record from the HMS Queen Mary!
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| Although I never actually met Queen Elizabeth, apparently Lord Westover has--indeed! |
Then, I had my “brush” with the Queen. It was at NASA Goddard Space Center and Her Majesty was touring the facility. I worked just down the road and thought I would head over to see if too could catch a glimpse of the world’s queen. As luck would have it I got that glimpse as Queen Elizabeth’s limo drove right passed me and I got to wave like a true smitten fan at a little old lady dressed in a yellow dress. I’d like to say we made eye contact (I was that close) but I’ve never been a good liar so I gave up fibbing years ago!
Now the World’s Queen is gone and except for strange
reoccurring dreams, I never actually met her. But as the Fates would have it I
did meet a now Monarch of Great Britain when he was the Prince of Wales. It happened
at the Common Good City Farm in DC. My husband, Tom, called one morning to tell me that Prince Charles was making a visit to the collective farm near our house in Washington, DC. So I
walked over and sure enough there he was! I shook his hand and we had a brief
conversation about Climate Change.
There are no accidents.
God Bless the Late Queen and God Save her son, King
Charles III!
Below is a photos taken of the Future King Charles III in Washington, DC (Photo Credit: Robert Westover):
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| King Charles III as the Prince of Wales |
Below meeting a Future King:
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| Me shaking the hand of Prince Charles now King Charles III (Courtesy Photo Common Good City Farm) |
