A Day with The Queen... & A Smile from Charles


I admit that some of the things 
I get to do are completely ridiculous.

Life in England has given me the chance
to partake in some amazing moments & celebrations...
and I haven't lost the hunger to try & find them.

One of the more memorable of these came today,
the day the Queen & I crossed paths.


(And for real this time... not across the street like at the Royal Wedding.)

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the translation
of the King James Bible.

Today in Westminster Abbey,
the Queen, Prince Phillip, & Prince Charles
that was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.





And, gosh darn it, I did, too.

My friend, Grace, inherited some tickets
that an old friend won in the lottery 
held by the King James Trust.

When Grace's husband couldn't leave work,
I got to play second fiddle...


and was the happiest fiddle in the world.





Grace, being responsible & prompt,
got there early when the doors opened 
and scored seats on the front row.

I, being late & a maniac,
was happy to see her prime location upon arrival.





After about an hour,
the crowd grew silent...
the scene from outside the door illuminated in camera flashes...
and the party started.

The Queen walked past & nodded hello.
Prince Phillip walked past and nodded hello...
but when Charles walked by and saw two euphoric, grinning Americans,
 broke his composed face and smiled at us.

I pretty much blacked out after that.

The End.




Actually, I do remember the service.

It was gorgeous
and a great tribute the huge impact
that this translation has had on the world.

The choir was, in the most cliche terms, angelic 
and we listened to the thoughts & prayers 
of some faithful leaders of the Anglican church.




Afterwards, the Royals all processed out
and, so kindly, nodded at us once more...


We made our exits from the Abbey with the crowd...





and glowed all the way home.




I'm not sure if this would be your cup of tea...
but it sure was for my taste!

The BBC news clip is here... 


*Around the 1:32 minute mark, you'll see my big white flower in the bottom right. :)


*crappy iPhone pics by me
*gorgeous real photos by Grace Glendinning

Posted by Aspiring Kennedy on 11/16/2011
Labels: , ,

28 comments:

  1. StephanieNovember 16, 2011 at 11:22 PM

    AMAZING! Oh so amazing!

    And so was your post on the royal wedding! WOW!

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  2. Natalie | Mrs. Janney |November 16, 2011 at 11:26 PM

    Oh my gosh that is SO COOL!!! I lived in England for a year so I share in your love of all things British. :)

    Absolutely AMAZING!

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  3. Cat SimmondsNovember 16, 2011 at 11:33 PM

    Wow! What an honor...

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  4. TariNovember 16, 2011 at 11:41 PM

    You both look lovely! I love your bag!
    xo,
    http://peppermintandivy.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  5. pve designNovember 17, 2011 at 12:37 AM

    Oh how marvelous.
    Jump at every opportunity or curtsy on!
    pve

    ReplyDelete
  6. ElizabethNovember 17, 2011 at 1:11 AM

    I've been following since my pals and I studied in Oxford this summer, but this is the first time I've commented. Such a fantastic experience - I'm so jealous!

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  7. Tiffany KadaniNovember 17, 2011 at 2:49 AM

    Freakin amazing. You are the coolest girl ever! And I bet if you asked Prince Charles would have totally taken you out afterward. What a charmer you are!

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  8. Anna HNovember 17, 2011 at 3:24 AM

    WHAT? I mean seriously. I have seen some pretty freakin cool things on your blog before but this takes the cake. How do I get your life? This is amazing!!! (And totally gives me faith that Prince Charles is way cooler than everyone thinks.)

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  9. SarahNovember 17, 2011 at 3:37 AM

    Your life is so glamorous (or ridiculous as you put it)!!! That is awesome! Yes, totally my cup of tea. I can remember walking through Buckingham palace about 7 years ago when the queen was in Scotland for the summer (or something like that) and thinking "holy cow. I'm walking on the same steps and carpet that the queen walks on!" What fun stories you and your hubby will have to tell your future children!

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  10. lauren jean alleceNovember 17, 2011 at 4:00 AM

    This is incredible! What an experience. You lead such a beautiful life!

    ReplyDelete
  11. UnknownNovember 17, 2011 at 4:04 AM

    Seriously, how do these things happen to you?! Amazing!

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  12. Fashion-ishaNovember 17, 2011 at 5:08 AM

    Wow this is an amazing post. Looks like it was so fabulous!
    xo
    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  13. NeuroticLoverNovember 17, 2011 at 6:25 AM

    That's amazing!! Totally saw your flower in the video! And love that Prince Charles grinned at you, I would have died!! Lol.

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  14. pickyNovember 17, 2011 at 6:30 AM

    What an amazing opportunity! Thanks so much for sharing the photos.

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  15. m_bNovember 17, 2011 at 7:35 AM

    i knew it was only a matter of time before you got to see the queen. i knew it. :) ahhhhhhh!

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  16. AnonymousNovember 17, 2011 at 2:19 PM

    I'm so jealous- you're friends with the Royal family now! What an amazing, once in a lifetime experience!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Windsor AndersenNovember 17, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    How FANTASTIC! I just got the chills.

    http://eatlovebikini.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousNovember 17, 2011 at 5:58 PM

    AHHHH! So amazing. Your adventures abroad make me so envious!

    Now you just need to have a similar encounter with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge...the wedding was close though!

    ReplyDelete
  19. carolineNovember 17, 2011 at 7:10 PM

    all i can say is you would ;)

    oh charles i bet you made his day! he he

    so fabulous

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  20. LeeLeeNovember 17, 2011 at 10:53 PM

    What a lovely opportunity.

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  21. ashley // chasing heartbeatsNovember 18, 2011 at 6:50 AM

    how fun! I would have died too if the royals were that close to me!

    ReplyDelete
  22. FranNovember 18, 2011 at 7:07 AM

    Aah that's amazing! I'm kind of really jealous :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Pamela McKenneyNovember 18, 2011 at 11:07 AM

    So Fun!!! I wanted to ask you some of your London favorites. My husband and I are staying in London for two nights before we fly back home to the states for Christmas. I have some shopping to do but wondered if there were a few fun restaurants we should try? Do you have any favorite boutiques? Anything that screams Christmas in London? I know this is a lot to ask....but any info would be great! We are staying at the Cadogan Hotel.
    Thanks, Pamela

    ReplyDelete
  24. KrisNovember 18, 2011 at 12:58 PM

    Oooh, how sweet that you got a smile from Charles. I'm totally smiling for you.

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  25. AshNovember 18, 2011 at 6:17 PM

    Do you live in london? I'm moving there in January!!!

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  26. heatherNovember 18, 2011 at 6:59 PM

    That is sooo cool!!! You have some pretty amazing adventures!!!

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  27. quintessenceNovember 19, 2011 at 1:10 AM

    What a marvelous day to bear witness to!! You two look lovely as clearly all those royal noticed!!

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  28. MandysRoyaltyJuly 13, 2012 at 11:44 PM

    As a royal historian (and the Queen's most ardent supporter) I truly envy your event this day. What a great adventure you must be having!

    I have not yet had any offers to come and be a royal historian in England (probably because I am not connected to academia. What, no freelancing? lol). My dream job is to "commute" to England every few months to do research in many a hallowed hall!

    Until next time!

    Mandy Littlefield
    mandysroyalty.org

    ReplyDelete

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