‘She always remembered people’ Looking back at county visits
Former Citizen editor Ian Mean looks back at the times he met the Queen on her visits to Gloucestershire
THE Queen loved Gloucestershire and was a regular visitor. I remember one of those 19 years ago when she visited Gloucester Cathedral for the Maunday Money service.
“That was a great day - she did a walkabout on Westgate Street and everyone was waving Union Jack flags”, said Sir Henry Elwes, then the Lord Lieutenant who held the position for eighteen and half years.
We took a picture on that walkabout, had it framed and gave it to her press officer before she left.
Three years later, I was invited to a Buckingham Palace reception and introduced to the Queen.
She said: “Mr Mean, wasn’t that a lovely day in Gloucester”. What recall I thought. And then six years later in 2009, I was privileged to meet her as vice chair of the Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company when she visited to open the new Gloucestershire College campus in the Docks.
Sir Henry told me: ”The Queen just loved Gloucestershire and when I was Lord Lieutenant I probably had more visits from her than any other county.
“The Queen was terribly funny and very easy to talk to.
“You actually had to keep pinching yourself that you were sitting next to the Queen”.
And in the week she died, Sir Henry, who is celebrating his diamond wedding anniversary, received a signed card from the Queen.
She always remembered people.
» Ian Mean is former editor of the Citizen and editor in chief of Gloucestershire Media and editor of the Western Daily Press. He was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in June for services to Gloucestershire.