Flashback

Dominic Kavakeb tells the story of a chance encounter among the VE Day crowds

Dominic Kavakeb tells the story of his grandfather’s VE Day dance with the Queen – then a young princess enjoying a right royal night out

On VE Day, the teenage Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were given permission by King George VI to leave Buckingham Palace in secret and join the celebrations. That evening, 15-yearold Ronald Thomas danced with Elizabeth in Trafalgar Square, yet later nobody believed him. The Queen herself would go on to speak about the evening, but it wasn’t until the release of the 2015 film A Royal Night Out ,afictionalised account of the Princesses’ jaunt, that Thomas, now 90, was vindicated in the eyes of his family. Here his grandson, Dominic, 33, tells the story.

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IT WAS FAMILY FOLKLORE that we grew up with – my grandfather used to tell us that he had danced with the Queen on VE Day – but we didn’t really know if it was true. He said he and a friend had got the train into London from Harrow and ended up in Trafalgar Square, and there were lots of people dancing, including a girl he recognised. [Princess Elizabeth was wearing the uniform of the Auxiliary Territorial Service, with which she had served as a mechanic.]

He moved towards her and straight away said he knew who she was. Then they danced together for a few minutes – just a merry dance. She denied [her identity] at first but he was so sure he said, ‘I’d recognise your face anywhere!’ Eventually she admitted it but told him to keep it quiet. He felt a strong sense of civic duty to the future monarch, which is why he didn’t expose her then, and why he has been very bashful about it since.

There were several big blokes with her, chaperoning, and after a few minutes they all moved on and that was that. It all happened very quickly but he’s thought very fondly of her ever since.

He was absolutely certain it was her. He’s always had a keen eye and I have no doubt now that his story is true. But when he told people they laughed at him and said, ‘Don’t talk rubbish.’

I remember it being mentioned over the years when I was growing up. Then we heard that a film had been made, A Royal Night Out, and coincidentally the son of a family friend of mine – the actor Jack Reynor – plays a leading part in it. I sent his mother a message and told her my grandad’s story, and she called me and said, ‘What are you and your grandad doing tonight? Come to the premiere in Leicester Square at six.’

It was a massive stroke of luck. He was thrilled by the whole thing – he found the film entertaining though he couldn’t help pointing out some embellished elements of the story!

But he was vindicated. After the film, he decided that he didn’t want to talk about it any more. Then, when the first season of The Crown came out, he was at our house a lot and he started talking about it again – I think in one sitting he told me about it five times in a row.

My grandad is an assistedliving facility now, in Welwyn [Hertfordshire], and his memory isn’t great. He has four children, five stepchildren, 21 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, and it was his 90th birthday in December. We had a party for him and put lots of pictures up on the wall, including these.

He has always had a fascination with the monarchy, and I think it’s fitting that he has a place in history, alongside this iconic date. He hasn’t had the easiest of lives at times and this unexpected story is one badge of honour he can wear for ever. — Interview by Jessamy Calkin

Below With his grandson, Dominic Kavakeb, in 2015

Above Ronald Thomas in the early 1950s, when he served in the Territorial Army.