Have you seen any of the Royal Family up close?

Saw Princess Margaret years ago (MUST have been more than 60 years ago as I was a Brownie and we presented a pageant in Suffolk when she visited. Saw the Queen when she opened a new College in Ipswich, and again in Chelmsford once...and the queen Mother when she opened a special commemorative tapestry in the Porter tun room of Whitbread;s Brewery in Chiswell St in London ...again like some here, I was surpised how TINY they were ! but all were smiling nicely and waving !

Seen a few of them close up. Had a wave off the Queen and PP when, somehow, as a tourist in London, we managed to wander along a street that had been closed for them to travel through. We got shouted at by a police officer who insisted that we stood next to him as the car went by. Not sure what Q and PP thought as they saw to twenty odd year old tourists standing with the police but they gave us a wave anyway. They may have thought it odd that we didn't wave back. Why should we? They'd made us miss our train and we were well and truly p**'d off.

Yes, several of them. Totally underwhelming. How ever the late Queen Mother was the most memorable of the lot, her perfume was overpowering. She awarded our prizes at the Royal Geographic society and remembered me the second years for winning the prize again. She was very charming.

Saw Princess Anne mingling with the crowd at a Horse Trials in the 1970s. She was quite heavily pregnant with her first; Mark Philips was competing.

Saw Prince Philip a few years ago at a carriage driving event. He was going from hazard to hazard with another man, presumably his security detail. I was amazed at how small he is.

The Duke of Kent came to the institution I volunteer at last year,I shook his hand (one of about 50 other people). I felt very sorry for him, it was his 80th birthday, we were the second place he was visiting and he went on from us to another engagement. Quite a schedule for a rather elderly gentleman.

The moment I enjoyed was when Princess Anne presenting the rosettes at a 3 Day Event. Zara was in the placings and when her mum got to her with her rosette she leaned down from her saddle and gave her a hug. I like Zara....

A few years ago a friend tipped me off that Prince Charles was going to open a new wing of a local hospital (she worked there)
As I was practically the only member of the public to turn up I was really close to him and couldn't believe how 'weathered' his face was. I got some great photos of him.

coulee??? COUPLE! There were no coolies or punkah wallahs present on any of these occasions!

Presented to HM and exchanged pleasantries at a reception at St. James's Palace about ten years ago, and had two encounters with the Princess Royal in her capacity as Patron of a coulee of organisations. I think I held my own!

Saw Princess Diana pretty close to in a shop, and I remember how lovely her eyes/eye make up were. Also met Princess Alexandra a few times through a charity I was involved with - she was extremely gracious and elegantly dressed.

I saw Princess Margaret at the Royal Show in the late 60s.
She wore an acid yellow dress and hat which clashed horribly with her orange pancake makeup and bright red lipstick.
Another poster said she had lovely skin. I'm afraid I thought the opposite. The very thick makeup accentuated her open pores.
As others have noted, she looked bored, I guess she'd rather have been in Mystique!

Saw Prince Charles windsurfing off Cowes in 1976.
Spoke with Princess Alexandra (1980) when she unexpectedly asked me, whilst presenting me with my degree, what I had planned to do after graduation- I replied 'probably teach' - unsurprising as my degree was in Education and English! (longstanding joke in our family following this was that there were only 2 ladies at the graduation ceremony wearing posh hats- the princess and my mother, who had the vapours almost!).
I should have met Princess Anne at a very posh dinner on board a P+O cruise ship where my husband worked. It was docked at Tilbury ( mid to late 1980's) and I had bought the elbow length evening gloves, long, black taffeta evening dress etc) but she had to cancel due to illness- so I didn't need to wear the gloves consequently!

saw the queen in the 70s, and saw Andrew many years back where an elderly gent told him off for arriving hours late and he told the gent to f off,

In 1970 I was walking from the Serpentine Gallery with my baby in a sling when the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne drove past me. They smiled and looked out at us. I think it was quite unusual to see a baby in a sling then.

The Queen walked past me, inches away, when I was a schoolgirl, and she was just about my height, including her hat. I also saw Pince Philip at a reception and was surprised that he was a lot shorter than I had thought - maybe he had looked tall in photos in comparison with the Queen.

Saw Princess Anne at close quarters in the 1980's when she became Chancellor of the University of London (I worked at Goldsmiths College at the time). I remember she was smaller and far prettier than I expected (she obviously just isn't photogenic). Have also encountered Prince Andrew on a visit to York but he just looked bored ...

Attended Prince Charles's 70th birthday celebrations in Spencer House last year. Wonderful day. Charming man with a good sense of humour. Memories that will last for ever.

My husband, daughter and I had just gone to the Highland Games in Scotland in the late 70s. We were alone on a beautiful windy road walking back to our car when a big black limousine passed by us. To our surprise, the Queen was waving to us from the back window!!!

Lovetopaint037. Was the school in Victoria St.Peters by any chance?.

Can I just say again what a joy it is reading all these posts?

Some great stories here on a most unusual topic!

I remember being taken with other kids from my primary school to see the queen when she visited the children's hospital in East London that was named after her. That was in the 70s and I remember being very excited at the time. I then saw her again at one of the royal parks with Prince Philip and Prince Charles although I can't remember the occasion. More recently though I attended a pre Christmas drinks party at St James' palace where I saw Prince Andrew and his daughters. They were all lovely.

At a Buck house garden Party with my Dad and mingled at the tower,I wasn't put in it! I am short and they are a lot shorter than I imagined particularly the Duke Great to have had Princess Diana with her good looking genes for future gens

My DH met the Queen in 2004 at Buckingham palace when he was awarded an OBE for services to Education and Young People. He never speaks of it but I am so proud of him.

Three years later he met Prince Charles at Highgrove at a lunch for a group of retiring Headteachers. We have lovely photographs.

My husband has met Camilla and Princess Anne through work and said they were both charming. Many, many years ago, Prince Charles was visiting our area and my sister saw him and said he was much shorter than we might think. The next day my dad took her to take a piano exam. While in the waiting room he asked where the toilets were. He was informed where the nearest one was but the steward then added that if he preferred he could use the very one that PRINCE CHARLES had used!

I worked at Eton College years ago now. I regularly saw Prince Harry walking up the cobbled road from his lessons to where he boarded with other boys. All the boys were usually in their Eton uniforms. Prince Harry was about 15 years old and still looks very similar today but minus the beard.

Many times I passed Harry on the narrow street and we had to pass in such close proximity I would always smile and occasionally he would smile back. As we worked in the college the rule was we could not talk to the royals so I never spoke to him.
Prince William was also there but he was older and boarded in another part I did not see him as often but when I saw him he always reminded me of Diana he had a certain look about him.
Even now when I see Prince Harry on T.V. I am reminded of that red haired boy in his Eton College uniform.

I have never spoken to any member of a Royal family, but I did see Queen Elizabeth II quite close up, when she visited Paisley years ago when I was a teenager. I stood on the pavement behind Paisley Abbey as she drove past. I was disappointed that she look bored and rather grumpy.

I have seen the Danish Royal family frequently while I lived in Copenhagen, but have never spoken to any of them.

Anndddd I seen P William playing polo