Strutting around London: The Audience...with the Queen

THE AUDIENCE....

One of the things Sally asked for as a birthday present this year was an evening at the theatre to see

The Audience - a play starring the famous British actress Helen Mirren. The synopsis goes like this...

For sixty years Elizabeth II has met each of her twelve Prime Ministers in a weekly audience at Buckingham Palace, a meeting like no other in British public life because it is private. Both parties have an unspoken agreement never to repeat what is said. Not even to their spouses. The Audience breaks this contract of silence – and imagines a series of pivotal meetings between the Downing Street incumbents and their Queen. From Churchill to Cameron, each Prime Minister has used these private conversations as a sounding board and a confessional, sometimes intimate, sometimes explosive.

From young mother to grandmother, these private audiences chart the arc of the second Elizabethan Age. Politicians come and go through the revolving door of electoral politics, while she remains constant, waiting to welcome her next Prime Minister.

With William in New York, Sally, Mark, Aisha and Mark's Mum, Elizabeth, headed out for what turned out to be a great night of theatre. Not all 12 Prime Ministers were included in the performance. Some, including Tony Blair, were only referred to. The young princess Elizabeth was represented throughout the play as she learnt for her future role. There were some poignant moments and some in which she railed against the duty that would have to be done and the constant service given.

After the play was finished, we headed round to Stage Door, as we usually do when we go to the theatre in London, and waited to see Helen Mirren. She duly appeared and was gracious in her conversation with the small crowd, thanking all for waiting on a cold and wet evening and encouraging us to head home, which she then did too!

WITH THE QUEEN...

The week after, it was Mark's 50th birthday!! For such an auspicious occasion one must celebrate in style, so we dispensed with actresses playing the Queen, and took Mark to visit the real one! Sally had gone in the ballot for tickets to the annual series of Garden Parties held by the Queen at Buckingham Palace and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh. She was fortunate to not only get tickets for her and Mark, but also for Elizabeth, who was kept in the dark till only a few days before. The only instruction Mark had given his Mum was to bring a nice outfit for a special function. Sally, knowing how much she herself was worrying about what in the world to wear and where to find a matching hat, when to get her hair done, what shoes were best with the dress etc etc, encouraged Mark to let Elizabeth know so she didn't go into meltdown on the day!

Sally got the tickets, but protocol dictates that Mr Strutt is noted first!

So, duly spruced up, Mark and Elizabeth met Sally outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and made their way in to join some 8,000 others for a pretty swish afternoon tea in HRH's back garden!

The weather had been fairly good for the preceding days but threatened all afternoon. It was much cooler than forecast and we saw many glammed up young (and not so young) things tottering around on ridiculous high heels sinking into the lawn and shivering. We agreed there really should be better dress rules!

Having swiftly secured an early afternoon tea, including little cakes with the crown iced on top, we left others in the queue and went to await the arrival of whichever royals were to appear on the day (always a surprise!). As it turned out, we saw all of the key royals there on the day - the Queen stopped right in front of us and spoke for about 5 minutes with a family who was being presented to her. She was so close we were able to listen in on the conversation and observe HRH at close quarters. She was much smaller than we had thought, had lovely skin and beautiful blue eyes!

The lake, looking back to the tents

yeomen in front of the royal tent

We then moved across to the next "corridor" (grass area with guests forming lines down each side, which the royals walked down so everyone could peer at them as they met those who were being presented). Here we saw the Duke of Edinburgh having a laugh with various guests. He seemed in good form and quite sprightly given his age. As he went past, we moved to the last corridor and watched Prince Charles go by. We didn't fuss too much about him because we'd already met him in 2011! Further back, the Duchess of Cornwall followed. She stopped to ask a couple women next to us where they had come from and when they had chatted, Sally, extrovert that she is, advised that her mother-in-law had come all the way from Australia. Thereafter followed a conversation of some several minutes between the three of them about the recent royal visit to Australia and how much they enjoyed it! She seemed very nice and jolly and wore her great big hat with style!

After some more patient waiting, The Duchess of Cambridge slowly made her way up the same corridor. She stopped beside us and spoke with two women who had worked in the doctor's surgery she visited early in her pregnancy. As she stood but a mere metre away, we were able to inspect at close quarters the baby bump, the make-up and hair, the very white teeth and THAT RING - it's huge!!!

Guess who we saw?!!

If you are wondering where the photos of all this royal watching are, you need to know that Sally earnestly obeyed the rules spelled out on the invitation regarding NOT bringing cameras.

She firmly, some might say stridently, even vehemently lectured Mark and Elizabeth on obeying the ROYAL rules ( SEE ABOVE) and not jeopardising her ENTIRE DIPLOMATIC career AND the reputation of the Australian NATION by possibly causing a royal SCANDAL. Faced by such a barrage, Mark & his lovely, gentle, almost saintly 80 year old mother brought no cameras along to record this truly once in a lifetime experience.

None.

Nada. Niente. Netchgo. Ingenting. Nihil. τιποτα δεν. 아주 적은. Ekkert. Nash.i Nichts.

None.

We were not long in the grounds of the palace before we realised that no one else had followed the rules. These PLEBS had kept their mobiles switched ON and were taking photos anywhere AND everywhere they pleased. Willy. Nilly.

Saddest of all was the fact that neither Sally, Mark nor Elizabeth have a mobile phone with a camera worth taking pictures on. When Sally finally broke down and decided to join all the rule breakers, she only got photos on a crappy phone camera. This explains why we have so few photos and why they are of such poor quality!!

WHY DIDN'T SHE LISTEN TO MARK !!!????!!!

main and royal tents

Despite the lack of photos, we ate well, loved the beautiful gardens we were able to wander, and had a fabulous time! Here are some of those that Sally did take....