Royal Visit

About seven years after St. Vincent became an independent country it was announced that Queen Elizabeth would be making a Royal Visit to her former colony.  The Royal Yacht Britannia would stop at the mainland first, then continue on to Bequia before her final destination of Mustique.  Princess Margaret owned a lovely home on Mustique and was visited often by members of the Royal Family.

Such excitement!  The Island hummed with activity as the small jetty was extended to accommodate the Britannia’s tender. A red carpet would be placed on the wooden dock, and a stage constructed for the making of speeches. Two lovely round planters were made by stone masons under the almond trees in the harbor, where the Queen and Prince Philip would each plant a tree. A flotilla of sailboats was organized to escort the Royal tender from the Britannia to the jetty, flying colorful flags to welcome the Queen to Bequia.  The Sargeant brothers, master model boat builders, were commissioned to build a replica of the Royal Yacht Britannia, which would be presented to Her Majesty as a momento of her visit to Bequia.

An advance team arrived prior to the Royal visit to organize security.  Anywhere the Queen went had to be cleared by them, which meant that many bushes had to be trimmed and several trees limbed.  The terrain the Queen walked on and trees she might stand under had to be safe, which was understandable on an Island where falling coconuts could be a hazard!

The big event would be the Royal Tea Party, which was to be held in the garden close to where the Gingerbread tennis courts would eventually be situated.  After speeches in the harbor and the planting of the trees, the Queen and her entourage would be escorted to the garden, where Her Majesty and Prince Philip would drink tea and be introduced to those lucky enough to have been invited.  Mac and I had been invited, and so had my mother and father.

My father would have loved to meet the Queen, but the Archdeacon of the Anglican church had not been invited to the Royal Tea Party and dad decided it would not be right for him to attend.  Mom had no such qualms, she had been invited to meet the Queen and had no intention of missing the opportunity!  Son Mitchell, the country’s Prime Minister, had asked Mac to act as his official photographer, so I told Mom that she and I would go to the tea party together.  My father and Arleus would take the children to the harbor to watch the arrival of the Queen and Prince Philip.

We were informed well in advance of the Royal visit that we had to wear dresses, hats and nylon stockings.  My friends Joan and Elaine had a suitable dress in their boutique and I bought it for the occasion, along with a yellow straw hat.  Nylon stockings were another story, they didn’t exist on Bequia back then.  Closely shaved legs with a sheen of baby oil would have to do, I just hoped they didn’t have Royal leg checkers!  Mac did not own a suit, he borrowed one from his friend Bob Berlinghof and it looked wonderful on him.

Mom and I were taught how to curtsy, it was mandatory to do so when meeting the Queen.  We were also told how to address her, saying “Your Majesty” in the first instance, then “Mum” afterwards.  We were warned that the Queen was not to be touched, the only contact should be a handshake and only when her hand was extended first.

Mom and I were ready to meet the Queen of England.  I thought of my British grandmother, who would have given anything to meet Her Majesty, and how ironic it was that her daughter and grand-daughter would soon have that privilege on a tiny Island in the Caribbean!