I was so lucky to have chances to get so close to her

I WAS a teenager when I reported for National Service and the man on the desk took one look at me standing over six feet tall and decided it was the Guards for me. I landed in the first battalion of the Coldstream Guards based at Chelsea Barracks and we worked regularly at Buckingham Palace.

Sometimes at the front of the palace — outside the gates in those days so members of the public would stand next to you and take photographs — we would have to present arms when the Royal family came out in their limousines.

On guard in the gardens behind the house, out of sight of the public, it was a bit more relaxed and, now and then, one of the Royals would come out for a walk or a cup of tea. When the Queen came out, you would present arms, and she would smile and give you a nod and say ‘Good afternoon’ or something like that.

Once, I was on evening duty there and probably a little too relaxed when a door opened and out came Prince Philip. It caught me completely by surprise and I started to get myself together and present arms. He looked at me, gave me a smile and a wink and told me to keep quiet. I think he was off out.

Many years later, in 1976, the Queen attended the FA Cup final when my Southampton team beat Manchester United at Wembley. The managers did not go up the steps to the Royal Box in those days so I looked up as she handed the Cup to our captain, Peter Rodrigues, and saw our directors standing proudly beside her with tears in their eyes.

Peter still says it was the best moment of his life. The Queen wore a royal blue coat and hat, similar to the blue in the strip we were wearing to avoid a colour clash with United. Peter smiled as he said to her, ‘I hope people don’t think you were on our side’.

The day I received an MBE for services to football and charity in 2006, the Queen presented the honours. I walked towards her, she pinned the medal on my jacket and we had a few words.

She mentioned football and I reminded her she had been at Wembley when we won the Cup. It was the last final she ever attended and I said, ‘It wasn’t that bad was it, Ma’am?’ She had a good laugh about that, and she was quite surprised when I told her that I used to stand outside the palace on guard.

I was very lucky to have those opportunities to get close to the Queen. She had an aura about her without ever giving you the impression she was the boss or anything like it.

I’ve met plenty of people in the public eye who think they are bigger and better than others, and here was the most famous woman in the world able to hold you in a nice conversation and make you feel for a few moments as if it was like any other normal encounter between two people who had never met.