THE QUEEN'S VISIT TO CANTERBURY

 It is now 500 years since Edward IV held Great Council in Meister Omers (1470), and 400 since Elizabeth I visited Canterbury in state (1573), and the great affairs of contemporary Britain are more commonly pursued in the corridors of Westminster or the T.U.C than within the Precincts. but the visit of the reigning monarch, and one universally admired for her sense of dedication and service, remains a notable event in the life of the city and of the school. So it was when the Queen spent five hours here on Friday, 10th December, having come to inspect progress on the Cathedral's restoration work and to attend Evensong. It was only the second visit of her reign to Canterbury.

Arriving at Canterbury East Station, the royal coach having been hitched to the scheduled 10:40 a.m. service from Victoria, Her Majesty was received by the Lord Lieutenant and Lady Astor of Hever and by the Mayor and Mayoress, Councillor Ian Fowler (O.K.S.) and Mrs. Gillian Fowler. Large crowds, including 4,000 schoolchildren, lined her route through Canterbury to the Mint Yard, where King's boys and masters gained their first glimpse of the Queen as she was driven through to the official welcome at the Deanery.

At the reception, guests connected with the Cathedral Appeal were introduced to the Queen, and some senior boys and girls assisting at the reception were fortunate enough to be introduced too. Subsequently, the school's closest contact with the royal guest occurred as Her Majesty walked from the Deanery to the school dining hall, stopping on her way to talk to the Headmaster of Milner Court and to three King's fifth-formers, Andrew Stein, Christopher Feder and Graham Donnell, of whom Stein was the only one of the 168 boys who had stayed on a day into the holidays to achieve press quotation.

Outside the dining hall, Celia Pilkington presented the Queen with a posy of freesias, whilst sister Sarah watched with arms folded in excitement. Once inside, the Queen joined a distinguished luncheon gathering, which included the Archbishop and Mrs. Coggan and Lords de l'Isle, Cromer, Salmon, Clark and Monckton with her at High Table.

Posterity will not lightly forgive us if we fail to record that Gardner Merchant Ltd., with Mr. Blair prominent, provided a splendid lunch of Avocado Pear with Prawns followed by Supreme of Chicken (and Cheverny, Domaine Gaudronniere, 1973). Nor, as emancipation and inflation sweep away our monkish inheritance, will future generations of King's girls be indifferent to the information that the Queen was dressed thus for the day:

Her blue hopsack coat used raised shoulder and hip seams for emphasis and was set off with a hat in one of her favourite shapes-a rounded, off-the-face style. In matching blue wool, it had a pom-pom trim to contrast with a diamond patterned crown. Her accessories were black patent and she wore three strands of pearls with matching ear[1]rings.

Lunch completed, the Queen passed firmly into the sphere of the Cathedral as she visited the restored Dean's Chapel and the Glass Works, and chatted to some of the masons and specialists in stained glass working on restoration. Finally, her visit reached its climax with Cathedral Evensong (at 4 p.m.), a service which was attended by the whole Foundation (including Mr. Wenley and ten King's Scholars), as well as by the Mayor and City Council. Before this service, the school's Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Mr. David Goodes and with Jolyon Lockyer as trumpet soloist, played music by Purcell, Corelli and Albinoni; at the close of the service, the sound of trumpet and strings made an impressive accompaniment to the retiring procession through the Quire.

By 5 p.m. Her Majesty had left the city, and the 150 extra policemen on duty, our largest show of force since the Enthronement, were relieved to leave the security of the Cathedral to the pigeons. 

S.C.W.

This article was written by Stephen Woodley and published in the 1976 issue of the Cantuarian. You can browse our online Cantuarian archive here. (Log in required)