A Day with The Queen... & A Smile from Charles

I admit that some of the things 

I get to do are completely ridiculous.

Life in England has given me the chance

to partake in some amazing moments & celebrations...

and I haven't lost the hunger to try & find them.

One of the more memorable of these came today,

the day the Queen & I crossed paths.


(And for real this time... not across the street like at the Royal Wedding.)

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the translation

of the King James Bible.

Today in Westminster Abbey,

the Queen, Prince Phillip, & Prince Charles

came to celebrate this event

that was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

And, gosh darn it, I did, too.

My friend, Grace, inherited some tickets

that an old friend won in the lottery 
held by the King James Trust.

When Grace's husband couldn't leave work,

I got to play second fiddle...

and was the happiest fiddle in the world.

Grace, being responsible & prompt,

got there early when the doors opened 

and scored seats on the front row.

I, being late & a maniac,

was happy to see her prime location upon arrival.

After about an hour,

the crowd grew silent...

the scene from outside the door illuminated in camera flashes...

and the party started.

The Queen walked past & nodded hello.

Prince Phillip walked past and nodded hello...

but when Charles walked by and saw two euphoric, grinning Americans,

 broke his composed face and smiled at us.

I pretty much blacked out after that.

The End.

Actually, I do remember the service.

It was gorgeous

and a great tribute the huge impact

that this translation has had on the world.

The choir was, in the most cliche terms, angelic 

and we listened to the thoughts & prayers 
of some faithful leaders of the Anglican church.

Afterwards, the Royals all processed out

and, so kindly, nodded at us once more...

We made our exits from the Abbey with the crowd...

and glowed all the way home.

I'm not sure if this would be your cup of tea...

but it sure was for my taste!

The BBC news clip is here... 

*Around the 1:32 minute mark, you'll see my big white flower in the bottom right. :)

*crappy iPhone pics by me

*gorgeous real photos by Grace Glendinning