Arriving in Rye

They said it would rain last Thursday and it did, well for most of the morning at least but that didn’t dampen the spirits of locals who braved the elements to welcome a very special visitor, HRH Queen Camilla who was due to land around lunchtime before her visit to Lamb House and St Mary’s church (A Royal day in Rye).

The Rye News team were strategically positioned around the town to capture the day’s proceedings which started at the Salts where the royal helicopter was due to land. From 11.00am it was a hive of activity there. The close protection and security teams made a base at Rye Cricket Club where they coordinated the arrival. Skinners car park provided the parking for the fleet of black Land Rover Discoveries and an immaculate black Audi which was the vehicle Queen Camilla would use. It was fascinating to watch the process build, as men in suits assembled under umbrellas, mobile phones in hand as they were fed updates, presumably from a central control room.

Four police escort motorbikes arrived, their riders briefed before carrying out a dry run which involved stopping the traffic to allow the royal cavalcade the opportunity to go up Landgate.

The security team went through their procedure with such great detail, testing the engines, lights, sirens and boot lids of all their vehicles. They were later joined by uniformed police, taking care of crowd control as the numbers of onlookers began to swell.

A support vehicle and trailer drove over the Salts, its driver tasked with a placing a blue cross on the ground for the helicopter to land on, originally positioned near the road but later moved to the far boundary of the cricket square, presumably where the ground was less waterlogged.

Preparations done, we all calmly awaited the imminent arrival and at approximately 1.10pm we heard the helicopter approaching which then landed on the cross and, with the rotors spinning to a halt, the security team moved in.

Queen Camilla made her way around to the Audi, followed by her close protection team as they drove around the cricket pitch through Skinners car park towards the Landgate, escorted by the four motorbikes.

Everything was executed in a calm and professional manner, a well-oiled machine, tried and tested so many times but the meticulous planning ensured the royal arrival went without incident, everything worked like clockwork and it was an education for all of us watching. After all, it’s not everyday we get the chance to see the Queen arrive on our doorsteps, a day to remember. The events which followed added another occasion to celebrate and by the time Queen Camilla reached St Mary’s church and Lamb House, the sun made an appearance and the waiting crowds enjoyed their chance to witness royalty in Rye, once again.

Image Credits: Nick Forman .