A kilt at The Palace.

[Hamish]

Two weeks ago, I was privileged to attend a champagne reception at St. James' Palace in London, which was given in connection with the launch of the official biography of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. We were given a fascinating talk in the sumptuous Throne Room within the palace, by William Shawcross, who spent six years in researching and writing the biography. Afterwards, we were taken on a tour of Clarence House, the London home of HRH Prince Charles and the Princes William and Harry, before the champagne and canapes were served in a ground floor room overlooking the gardens. At this point I should explain that St. James' Palace and Clarence House are adjoining buildings with inter-connecting doors. Clarence House was also, of course, the London home of The Queen Mother from 1952 to the time of her death in 2002. Finally, before leaving, William Shawcross signed copies of his book for each of us.

I was accompanied by my good neighbour to this prestigeous event after which we strolled along The Mall for an evening meal at the Scottish restaurant, 'Albannach', in Trafalgar Square. A quick taxi ride then took us back to Victoria Station where we caught the last train home to West Sussex.

Photography is not permitted in The Palace, Clarence House or the gardens, so Janet and I posed for photos outside Buckingham Palace which we passed earlier:



Walking along The Mall after the reception, we passed Carlton House Terrace:



And here is my copy of his book signed by William Shawcross:





What a day!

Take care,
Ham.

[PS: The biography contains over 1,000 pages, so it will be quite a read!]

[McMurdo]

Lovely photos Ham, you look dapper as always, I hope you enjoy the book, perhaps I should look into picking up a copy for myself.

[Panache]

Thanks for the report friend!

I would mention how dashing you look, but I know how modest and shy you are!

Cheers

Jamie :ootd:

[Marshal Moroni]

Wow! What an honor! It sounds like a wonderful event.

Thanks for posting the story and your pictures.

Cheers,

Marshal Moroni

[SFCRick]

Great photos and story

[Steve Ashton]

Hamish, this story made me think of your tale behind the other Royal invitations that hang in your entry foyer.

[Hamish]

Hamish, this story made me think of your tale behind the other Royal invitations that hang in your entry foyer.

Alas, Steve, there was no printed invitation this time, nor was any member of The Royal Family present. The framed, gilt-edged invitations you saw here were to meet HM The Queen, HM The Queen Mother, Prince Charles and Princess Diana at Palace Garden Parties, and a Christmas Party at Kensington Palace. Happy memories!

Take care,
Ham.

[Standard]

So how does one become invited to such an event? It seems you always have an interesting event to share with us! You, of course look very sharp as usual. Thanks for sharing the photos and tale with us.

[pdcorlis]

What a delightful day Hamish, thank you for the delightful report!

[sydnie7]

Beautifully turned out as always, Ham. Sounds like a(nother) day to remember!