How Queen helped hostage Waite

THE Queen helped Terry Waite overcome his five-year ordeal as a Beirut hostage by arranging for him to stay in a cottage on the Balmoral estate, he revealed yesterday.

She gave him access to the house, normally used by Princess Anne, for as long as he and his family needed it, he said, describing her action as ‘a real example of her personal care’.

Mr Waite, now 83, was taken hostage in 1987. Speaking to BBC Radio 4, he said that after his return, ‘I was told that the Queen had invited us all – all the family – to Balmoral. She said, “Stay as long as you like.” She recognised the fact that we needed privacy and this was where we could get it.’

The fridge was ‘totally stocked’, and he was given use of a Land Rover, ‘so everything was laid on’. Mr Waite added he had kept in touch with Prince Philip, with whom he had ‘quite a number of good conversations at Balmoral’.

He described the Queen as ‘a wonderful, warm, kind, generous, compassionate person’.