He had big grin on his face as I joined royal walkabout
“Just smile and keep walking” – the words a bemused Duke of Edinburgh Ed whispered to me when I acaccidentally breached a security cordon co and ended up on a royal walkabout. w It was back in June 1997 when aI I was wa just 19 and working as a cub reporter rep for the Belfast News Letter during my university holidays.
The Queen and Prince Phillip were celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary and were hosting a garden party at Hillsborough Castle for Ulster couples who had also been married for 50 years.
I was dispatched at the last minute with a photographer to cover the visit, which had been kept a closely guarded secret to reduce the threat of a terror attack.
After being authorised, searched, scanned and frisked, the snapper and I were allowed to take up our position with the rest of the press.
An hour later the Queen and Prince Phillip emerged from the castle and started talking to the guests who were behind a cordon.
The news desk had told me to speak to everyone the photographer pictured with the Queen so I just toddled away from the rest of the journalists and started going up and down the line chatting to folk.
I was oblivious to where I was and that I had wandered under the cordon.
Suddenly, there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned round and the Duke of Edinburgh was standing behind me with a big grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye.
He said: “I don’t think you are supposed to be here my dear, but just smile and keep walking.” I looked around me and realised I was wandering about slap bang in the middle of the Royal party - the Queen was just in front and Phillip was beside me.
Mortified, I took his advice and kept walking with the Duke smiling to himself as we made it back to the steps of the castle and he disappeared inside with the Queen. In all the TV news coverage that night you could see me in the background in the middle of the royal party. My granny who was a big fan of the Royals was ececstatic but was raging when she saw ththe footage and realised realis I had met the Queen Quee and Prince Phillip Philli wearing an old anorak. anor
The Th Duke was known kno for his devilish dev sense of humour hum and I got to eexperience it first firs hand - I think he appreciated my unintentional su subversion.