"On the sad occasion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II’s passing, my memories came flooding back and I would like to share
these with you.
I feel privileged to have been alive during the whole
of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. When I was 10 years old I entered an essay
competition in Liverpool and won my division for my essay about the British
Monarchy so I have been a fan for a long time. In 1953 when the Queen was
crowned everyone on our street in Speke, Liverpool finally got a television
set and we settled down to watch the Coronation in glorious black
and white.
Looking back I am honoured and amazed to see that I met
Her Majesty eight or nine times and each time she impressed me with her
great sense of humour combined with great dignity. These times were:
1. Firstly, when The Beatles got the MBE
on 26th October 1965. I remember us being taken aside and shown what the
correct protocol was. We were told how to approach Her Majesty and not
to talk to her unless she talks to us. For four Liverpool lads, it was,
“Wow, hey man.”
2. The next time we met was some years later at
the Royal Albert Hall on 13th December 1982. It was at an event
Linda and I attended called An Evening for Conservation. Part of
the evening included some orchestral re-workings of some Beatles songs
and I remember chatting with Her Majesty about them. She also re-introduced
me to Prince Philip who said he remembered our previous meeting in the
sixties!
3. Our third meeting would come in the next decade.
In June 1996 The Queen graciously agreed to open the Liverpool Institute
for Performing Arts on the site of my old school that George Harrison
and myself attended. She also had previously given a donation which the
school was very honoured to receive.
4. Just one year later and
our next encounter was a very proud day for me. It was one of the best
days ever. I felt very honoured to be offered a Knighthood and of
course it would have been rude to turn it down! I remember it was in the
springtime and the skies were blue. It was a wonderful day and I remember
thinking I’d come a long way from a little terrace house in Liverpool!
5. It was a new millennium the next time we were
together again and what an occasion it was! Celebrating her Golden Jubilee,
we got to rock out in her garden. As Her Majesty was on stage receiving
applause at the end of the show I joked, ‘Well I suppose this will be
happening next year then?’ to which she replied, ‘Not in my garden
it won’t!’
6. We were to see each other again shortly afterwards,
but this time on my home turf! I was very honoured to be given a painting
exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery, which John and I had visited
on many occasions as students. It was my extreme privilege to be able to
show Her Majesty around the gallery.
7. A decade on and Nancy and I attended a special
event titled Celebration of the Arts at the Royal Academy of Arts in
London, and it was a thrill as ever to talk with Her Majesty.
8. On June 4th 2012, The Queen would celebrate
her Diamond Jubilee and it was so special in many ways. This was
the first time I performed in front of her since her last Jubilee, and
seeing all the people stretching down Pall Mall was great, as was
meeting other members of the Royal Family afterwards. It was a great weekend
to be British.
9. Our last meeting came in 2018. Because of my
respect and love for the Queen and her fabulous sense of humour when I
was given the Companion of Honour medal I shook her hand, leaned
in and said, ‘We have got to stop meeting like this,’ to which she
giggled slightly and got on with the ceremony. I did wonder if I was a
bit too cheeky after saying this, after all this was The Queen, but I have
a feeling she didn’t mind.
God bless you. You will be missed."
- Paul McCartney
Source:
Paul McCartney's official FB Page
The Beatles Universe Features Page
.
