CONVERSE MY STORY FREE

She was absolutely delighted that no one recognised her and thought it hysterical when shop owners started bartering furiously with her.

CONVERSE MY STORY FREE

In 2002, she decided she wanted to venture into Changi Airport’s chaotic duty free mall. When she travelled to Australia, which she did many times, the plane would stop in Singapore and silks would be brought to the VIP lounge for her to “shop” with Angela Kelly, her dresser. She was intensely curious and loved life experiences that her role did not permit her to experience, such as duty free shopping. While the rest of us ran around trying to resolve dramas, they always remained calm. The vessel had to be lashed to another taxi and towed to the quayside, with Queen Elizabeth clambering over the rescue vessel to disembark. In Winnipeg, Canada, the royal boat broke down, leaving them adrift on an icy cold river. Both she and the Duke of Edinburgh thought it was hilarious when things didn’t go according to plan on engagements – a flag that got stuck, a plaque that wouldn’t unveil, the Commonwealth Games baton in Glasgow that wouldn’t unscrew. We were two women discussing babies.Īs we know, she had a fantastic sense of humour and was a great mimic, but her sense of the ridiculous was also finely tuned. Knowing that my knowledge of horses was zero made it even more special. She would proudly show me the still photographs the next day, and we’d discuss the physical attributes of each foal.

In the winter months, when the Royal household moved to Sandringham for Christmas, she would revel in the births of new foals as they arrived in the cold, early hours.Ī camera had been rigged up in the stables, and she was able to watch her beloved horses give birth live. She loved her dogs, and of course her horses. Queen Elizabeth loved photography and spent hours putting family photographs in her albums. She pioneered the concept of work-life balance by understanding that her role was separate to her as a person, embracing her hobbies and making time for them in her busy schedule. She was a beautiful cornucopia of contradictions – shy but intensely funny, reserved yet feisty, homely yet statesmanlike, feminine yet tough, a doting wife and equal partner. It was Queen Elizabeth’s character that set her apart and made her one of the greatest leaders of our time and the longest-reigning monarch of this country. It is rare to find a human being who is selfless – devoid of ego – yet commands the respect of children and men alike, a woman in a man’s world who never lost her feminine charm and demonstrated that women can do anything a man can do (sometimes even better). We are faced with the reality of what her death really means for this country, the Commonwealth and every one of us who loved her. The world has woken up to the news that our beloved Queen Elizabeth II has died.

Converse my story