Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Congratulations to Her Majesty

[An image showing Congratulations to Her Majesty]Her Majesty the Queen reaches another milestone in her long reign today, when she becomes our oldest reigning monarch.

Queen Victoria lived until she was 81, and today Elizabeth II passes the age that Victoria had reached on the day she died.

One evening in 1960 or 1961, while I was working in the City of London, I was stopped by a policeman from crossing Aldgate in my quest to get to Liverpool Street Station quickly to catch the train back home to Southend.

While I was waiting, and gruttering to myself because of the delay, an open top car went by. In the back was quite an attractive youngish woman. I was confident that I knew her, but I couldn't work out where I knew her from.

Anyway, she grinned at me, and as is my wont I grinned back.

It wasn't until I got on the train that I realised it was Her Majesty the Queen.

Years later, in 2002, my son Kevin and I went to join the crowds in Humberstone Gate in Leicester to see her when she was making a progress around the country to celebrate 50 years on the throne. I have to say that she looked absolutely delighted by the warm reception she was given by the people of Leicester.