East Midlands: People share their memories of meeting the queen

As the world mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II people from across the East Midlands have been sharing their memories of meeting her.

Her majesty's "great sense of humour" and "gracious" nature were among many of the qualities recognised by those who were invited to spend time with her.

Sean Marshall - a former city councillor in Derby - was mayor when the Queen visited in 2010 to attend the Maundy Service at the city's cathedral.

Afterwards, he said he sat next to her during a "surreal" lunch.

"We sat down at the table and there was a bit of silence and I thought 'I need to break the ice here'," he said.

"So I said 'you know ma'am I closed my shop to come here today' and she looked at me.

"I said 'yes, it's like Arkwright, it's open all hours my shop, never closed ever but I've left a big sign on the door saying I've gone for lunch with the Queen. Who's going to believe me today?' because it was the first of April.

"She started laughing and from there on it was just two hours of talking.

"We talked about family and work and just general chit-chat."

He said she made a joke about the cider sorbet they had for dessert - with her referring to it as being the most expensive dessert in the world following a recent tax increase on English apples.

"She had a great sense of humour - really clued-up on worldwide affairs and politics," he said.

He said he was really surprised at how down-to-earth she was.

After lunch he said she told him she always enjoyed visiting Derby.

Ian Hodgkinson, who runs a building firm in Derby, met the Queen at the dedication of the Armed Forces Memorial in Staffordshire in 2007.

As one of those involved in the construction of the memorial he was invited to attend.

He said his tickets never arrived due to a postal strike so he did not think he would be allowed past security, but he was.

He said after she made a speech he had a moment to talk to her.

"I'm still in awe of it today, it's very vivid in my mind," he said.

"I managed to keep some composure.

"To be quite honest it was like talking to your grandmother, your most loveliest grandmother."

Mr Hodgkinson said she asked him about how the memorial was built and he explained it was brickwork in the centre with stone cladding.

"She was actually interested in what a builder from Derby had done. What a privilege," he said.

"She was incredibly gracious and kind and she gave us all the time, it was not rushed."

Ross Willmott, the former leader of Leicester City Council, said in 2008 he was in charge of showing the Queen around the newly-built Curve theatre.

He said: "When we got into the stairwell she demonstrated her great sense of humour.

"We got up to the first landing and she said 'do you mind if we have a moment Mr Willmott, I just need to take my breath? Did you know they won't let me go in the lift in case it breaks down? They make me climb all these stairs'.

"When we got to the top I said 'I've got to introduce you to everybody but I've left my list downstairs' and she said 'don't worry, I can see he's the bishop'."

Mr Willmott said they then sat together to watch a performance of Cinderella before the Queen unveiled a plaque backstage.

He said: "The plaque was on the stage on an easel, we're all gathered round, and she pulls the cord to unveil the plaque.

"She then leans over and says to me 'you've got a bit of a problem here - how are you going to put this plaque on your curved wall?'"

He said they both then had a good laugh.

Stef Reid, from Loughborough, met the Queen after her success competing in the Paralympics.

In 2013 she was invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace where she spoke to the Queen as part of a group.

She said: "I think what really took me aback was the intensity with which she listened to everyone.

"She was someone who understood what commitment meant and I think when she looked at athletes, and anyone else who had worked hard at their craft or their calling, she respected that, and she just encouraged everyone that she spoke to."

Mrs Reid, who was born in New Zealand and grew up in Canada, then met her for a second time in 2017 at Canada House in London.

She said: "I have quite an iconic looking artificial leg - it's carbon fibre and it doesn't have a cosmetic finish - I could tell when she first walked up she flagged it and I was preparing myself for her to ask about it but she didn't.

"She actually commented on my dress and how beautiful it was and we had a conversation about that.

"The way I interpreted that was that she flagged it but she knows that's not the most interesting thing about me and it was a really reaffirming moment."

The Rev Canon Christian Weaver, a church leader from Nottingham, was invited to visit the Queen in 2019 when he was a social worker involved in community education.

He said: "I thought it was going to be one of these big garden party things, it turned out to be six members of the royal household, Christian Weaver and two other people."

He said he joined the Queen for lunch where she asked to sit next to him to discuss feelings of anti-immigration within communities.

"She wanted to hear first hand what my take was," he said.

"Looking in her eyes I could see the genuine concern."

Rev Weaver said she was "a lovely person" whose warmth eased his feelings of anxiety and apprehension.

"I'm sure she had her faults, like everybody else, but in her lifetime she demonstrated that she was a real person," he said.

"A loving, kind, Christian-like person who was concerned about the welfare of other people and was determined to do whatever she could during her life to make this world a better place."

Matt Rooney is a volunteer with the Scout Association in Nottinghamshire.

In 2012 he attended an annual scouting event at Windsor Castle where his role was to introduce her majesty to people who had done something incredibly brave or been through personal hardship.

He said: "She stopped and had time to listen to people.

"Children with special needs or been treated for cancer - she would almost stop her aides from moving her onto the next person because she genuinely cared and wanted to find out more."

Mr Rooney added he met the Queen on several other occasions through his role with the Scouts.

He said she always had the ability to make people feel like they were the only one there.

"I remember every time I met her there was this twinkle in her eye, this sparkle this life that was there," he said.

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