Local people have been sharing their stories of the day they met the Queen.
The first royal visit in decades saw Her Majesty arrive at lunchtime on Thursday May 16 to spend time meeting people from Rye in the church and at Lamb House, as well as talking to some of the well-wishers who lined the streets despite the rain.
It’s fair to say they were charmed by the Queen.
Mayor Andy Stuart said he was honoured to greet The Queen and officially welcome her to Rye. “We had a very British conversation – we talked about the weather and how the downpour might affect my robes. It was a brilliant day and I’m so pleased so many people in Rye got to meet Her Majesty. Lots of smiles on lots of faces, especially the children from Rye Primary School who were the first people she met on her way into St Mary’s.”
Many of the people she met in St Mary’s were from local charities. Inga Davie has supported the volunteering charity RVS for almost fifty years and the Queen was pleased to see her long service medal from a charity of which she is a patron. “She was lovely. So natural. And so interested in what we do and told me how volunteers literally are the skeleton of the country. It was a once in a lifetime occasion.”
Betty Broocks is another long serving volunteer, with more than half a century supporting the RNLI at Rye Harbour. “It was such an honour. We arrived early and had a lesson on how to curtsey. It was lovely to meet her.”
Betty has a second chance to meet royalty this week when she attends a garden party at Buckingham Palace to mark the 200th anniversary of the lifeboat charity. More in Rye News next week.
Paul Ramsey also represented RNLI Rye Harbour in St Mary’s. “She was very friendly, asking lots of interesting questions about our regular jobs. When I told her I was a publican at the New Inn in Winchelsea we joked about avoiding a drink in case of an emergency call.”
Jenny Farrant spoke to the Queen about the Family Support Work charity. “She listened to everyone and was genuinely interested in how we work with people who need our help. She’s much more down to earth than people expect. The whole event was so well organised. What a day!”
Rye Arts Festival presented the Queen with a framed copy of last year’s brochure dedicated to the coronation. David Angell from the festival explained a family connection to the gift. “The frame was made by my father-in-law’s company Grant Macdonald London, who received the Royal Warrant of HM King Charles just last week. She was charming to talk to and we had a long chat about our latest project to help make Rye a recognised centre for musical excellence.”
Anthony Kimber, President of Rye Royal British Legion, told Her Majesty he was delighted to hear the King is to be the new Patron of the RBL and passed on best wishes from the Rye Branch for his recovery. The Queen told him the King “was doing well” and that “she would pass on the greetings”.
They discussed Lamb House, the former home of EF Benson, where Her Majesty was due after leaving the church. “I explained how the author was a regular worshipper in the church and his pew close to the high altar is marked with a brass plate. She was keen to know more.”
The Queen specifically asked to meet the bell ringers, however her late arrival meant long and tiring work as Andi Rivett, keeper of the bells, explained. “Whether there was a mix up over the timings or the weather interfered, Her Majesty arrived a tad later than planned and our ringers had been ringing for almost an hour non-stop. It was wonderful to shake hands with her. What touched me most was when Her Majesty turned back into the church just before she left for Lamb House, she saw Sophie and made a beeline to our beloved spaniel. She made quite a fuss of her.”
After St Mary’s, the royal visit continued to Lamb House in Rye, the former home of authors Rumer Godden, Henry James and EF Benson. The town’s literary history was the main reason for the Queen coming to Rye and her visit lasted longer than expected as Danial Demaine from the National Trust explained. “Her Majesty’s tour of the house was supposed to take just 10 minutes, however in the end she enjoyed it so much it took over half an hour.”
“She told my colleague Susannah Mayor that the King was very jealous of her visit to Lamb House as he too is a huge Benson fan. She also told us her visit to Lamb House had been charming and that she would return again when the Garden Room was rebuilt.”
A return visit to Rye was also suggested to Judith Blincow from The Mermaid Inn who was introduced to the Queen as she left Lamb House. “She told me she was disappointed not to visit The Mermaid, but said when she came back she would try to come in. She seemed very grounded and we had a laugh about walking in heels on Rye’s cobbles.”
Image Credits: James Stewart .