London, (Parliament Politics Magazine)- I was on board the Royal Yacht Britannia with the Queen on three memorable occasions. In all of these I saw her deep-seated qualities, duty, devotion and ability to relate to people in all corners of the world.
The first was in Torbay in July 1969 when I was Minister for the Royal Navy. With the Queen in a naval pinnace we visited the 30 Royal Navy ships and submarines anchored in Tor Bay. The occasion was the presentation of a new colour to the Royal Navy for only the second time, the first being done by George V in 1926. There was also a fly past by 89 helicopters and aircraft led by the Phantom jet which was the Navy’s latest jet aircraft. The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Princess Anne were also on board. I saw on the faces of the sailors the deep-seated respect and admiration for the head of the Navy.
The second occasion was on 22 May 1978 as Foreign Secretary during the Queen’s visit to West Germany. On the first evening in Bonn there was a banquet for the Queen given by the Federal President and lunch next day given by Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. The Queen took the train to Mainz which emphasised the federal nature of the German constitution. Next day I flew with the Queen from Mainz to Berlin where She reviewed British troops, was given lunch by the governing Mayor and we then flew to Kiel where the Queen cast her eye over the best-bred Schleswig-Holstein horses. It was evident to everyone watching that her expertise in horse breeding was huge. That evening she boarded the Royal Yacht Britannia in Kiel harbour and sailed through the Kiel canal. Next morning there was dense fog yet the Queen reviewed in the North Sea the Federal Navy and though we could barely see the bows of Britannia she entertained members of the Federal Armed Forces for lunch. That night in Bremerhaven the Queen gave a dinner in honour of the Federal President on board the Yacht. Just as in her earlier first visit in 1965, this visit further enhanced the friendship between the two countries. But more than that those people who had had the opportunity of speaking to her, recognised an exceptional person.
The third occasion was on 19 February 1979 when the Queen was the first female head of state to visit Saudi Arabia. She stepped off the plane in a beautiful royal blue dress with matching headwear. The outfits she wore throughout the trip were carefully designed in accordance with Saudi Arabia’s conservative dress code for women. It ended on the Royal Yacht moored alongside the quay hosting a dinner in honour of King Khalid. It was by any standard a memorable political occasion. It was clear that the Saudis had watched very carefully the events in Iran and had noticed that we had not bowed to pressure of public opinion to cancel the Queen’s visit to Iran which had been planned to precede that of Saudi Arabia. The old King was right to do so for it was very much the Queen’s decision and I will never forget him waving his stick out of the window as his car drove away from the Yacht. Without shifting from her well established position of not in any way interfering with government decisions she had very quietly made it known to both Jim Callaghan and me that she would far prefer for the Shah to cancel first, which he did. That single diplomatic act did much to restore faith in the UK throughout the Gulf following the retreat from East of Suez. Loyalty was one of her greatest characteristics.
The Royal Navy is often called the ‘silent service’ but no one can doubt that the Queen, in part because of her husband, had a special affection and respect for the Royal Navy and it was returned in full measure. Anyone who stayed on board Britannia becomes temporarily a trusted member of the Queen’s household. Once the last guest has left you sat with the Queen who would tuck her feet under her and start discussing the day’s events or the evening’s party. Unknown to most she was a very good mimic of certain guests.