Brian May relives his day of royal high anxiety

QUEEN guitarist Brian May recalls he was terrified when he played God Save The Queen solo live on the roof of Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations — and that he broke royal protocol when she subsequently didn’t recognise him.

‘It was very, very frightening,’ he admits of the live televised performance in 2002. ‘[I thought] if I mess up God Save The Queen in front of a billion people [on TV], that will be what I am [remembered] for the rest of my life — the guy who messed up.’

Happily, he didn’t — and a few weeks later was presented to the monarch along with fellow guitar legends, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck.

‘There was a silence. And of course, protocol says you’re not allowed to open a conversation with the monarch, but I thought, someone has to say something.

‘So I said, “Very happy to meet you, Ma’am — I’m the guy who was standing on your roof.” And she said, “Oh, that was you, was it?” ’

Her Majesty did invite him to her Platinum Jubilee bash nevertheless.