Arthur tells right royal tale of life as chauffeur to the Queen Mother.

It wasn’t all garden parties and royal tours, but this Perthshire-born 81-year-old tells Gayle Ritchie why he loved every minute of his job as chauffeur for an ‘astonishingly lovely lady’ – and how he was expected to be on his toes at all times

“You had to be smart in the brain, alert and positive at all times, and keep your trap shut!”

Arthur Barty’s summation of his role as the Queen Mum’s chauffeur immediately shows it was not an average job.

The 81-year-old from Perthshire spent more than a quarter of a century driving hundreds of miles at a time with his regal passenger, after taking up the role in 1974.

Farming boy Arthur was barely out of his teens when he joined The Black Watch. Fifteen years later he was given the prestigious appointment by Colonel Thomas Mcmicking.

He said: “He came out of a room, having given a lecture and said: ‘Ah, Barty. I have a position for you – as the Queen Mother’s second chauffeur. Do you wish to accept this position or not? You have three seconds.’

“I was rather taken aback, but very honoured, so of course, I said yes immediately.”

Arthur’s very first job was to drive Lord Elphinstone, the Queen Mum’s cousin, to Heathrow Airport.

Soon after, he drove Her Majesty from Clarence House to Royal Lodge, her Windsor home.

“I learned never to drive the same route twice with royalty – for security reasons,” he says.

Other jobs involved a lot more driving and in some cases, hundreds of miles.

“Each trip from Clarence House to Birkhall on the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire was 542 miles. With three stops en route, it was a 12-hour journey.

“Often, the next day, we would make a five-hour journey of around 120 miles to the Castle of Mey in Caithness, the Queen Mother’s Scottish retreat.”

Other trips included travelling from Birkhall to the Black Isle, which was 80 miles, or to Glamis Castle, which Arthur describes as a “short drive” of 64 miles over the Cairn O’ Mount.

Arthur would meet the Queen Mother – who had flown in The Queen’s flight from Heathrow – at Dyce Airport’s VIP area. He would then drive her to planned destinations around Scotland.

He also ferried her around the grounds of Clarence House in her buggy while she waved gaily to crowds.

Another royal he chauffeured on occasion was Lord Mountbatten.

Of course, the job wasn’t all about royalty and glamour. Arthur also had to care for and maintain the cars, but being a fan of all things motoring, this was a job he relished.

While Arthur felt very honoured to be given his job working alongside royalty, he admits he felt quite daunted by the prospect initially.

“I never in my life thought for a minute I’d survive what was really a 24/7 hands-on job,” he says.

“There were a lot of expectations. You had to be smart in the brain, alert and positive at all times, and keep your trap shut!

“It was a case of be seen and not heard! But it was a top notch, 10 out of 10, job. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“It was about being courteous and being careful of how you looked. You had to be aware. You had to behave in such a way as not to cause a fuss, or be silly. “

Arthur had a soft spot for the Queen Mum and describes her as “an astonishingly lovely lady”.

While there was very little conversation between employer and employee, Arthur was touched when she invited him to accompany her to a Black Watch parade in Germany in 1987.

“I flew with the royal party from Aberdeen Airport and when we arrived in Germany, we were transported around by the military. The parade took place in Werl, in North Rhinewestphalia.

“It was such a huge honour to be invited, and it was such a special occasion.”

In December 1993, Arthur was awarded the Royal Victorian Medal by the Queen at Sandringham House.

The following year, he was awarded the Long Service Medal, again at Sandringham.

When the Queen Mum died on March 30 2002, it was a sad day for Arthur.

He had lost not only someone he respected but also his job.

“It was difficult news to take as she was such a lovely soul,” he laments.

“And of course, that was the death knell for my job as a chauffeur. I ended up being on the dole for a year.”

In May 2003, Arthur became the verger of The Royal Chapel of All Saints in the grounds of Windsor Great Park, a role he carried out for nearly nine years until he retired.

When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Westminster Abbey to commemorate the war dead on November 7 last year, the couple made a point of chatting to Arthur.

“I never thought for a minute I would meet His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness but it was an absolute pleasure to chat to them,” he said.

Arthur Barty spent more than a quarter of a century as the Queen Mum’s chauffeur, after taking up the role in 1974. The Perthshireborn 81-year-old also rubbed shoulders with The Queen and other members of the royal family. Top right: former soldier Arthur with his medals.