Almodington resident looks back on her experience meeting the Queen

Sue Chapman was awarded an MBE in 2005 for her services to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

She said it was a ‘complete shock’, initially believing it was a family member playing a joke on her.

Due to the nerves and excitement felt on the day, and the amount of time that has passed since, Mrs Chapman said she can no longer remember what the Queen said to her.

However, she recalls the day itself clearly, calling it ‘a once in a lifetime opportunity’.

After arriving through the gates of Buckingham Palace and saying goodbye to her husband and sisters, Mrs Chapman and the other guests were ushered into a separate room and talked through the procedures of the day.

They were instructed on the correct way to address the Queen and told what to expect from Her Majesty herself, including how she signals that she has finished talking to you.

Mrs Chapman said: “When she stops talking to you, she just takes hold of your hands and very gently pushes you back, so that you know that’s the end of the conversation.

“Then you have to take two steps back and curtsey again.”

Before meeting Her Majesty, Mrs Chapman explained that the staff tried to put the nervous guests at ease.

‘Every few yards’ they took her full name and date of birth, which she thought ‘was a bit too much at the time’.

She said: “But I suppose they were just trying to allay your nerves really, because by that stage you knew you were getting closer, and thinking ‘can I really do this?’

“You knew that everybody there was in the same boat as you though, we were all nervous.

“All the women were eyeing up each others’ outfits, you know saying ‘where did you get that from?’, so that sort of broke the ice a bit.”

Then it was Mrs Chapman’s turn to meet the Queen.

Her Majesty was stood with two men by the side of her, though they were a step back, and despite having no paperwork she knew exactly who Mrs Chapman was and which department she worked in.

Mrs Chapman said: “She was very smiley [and] just had the most beautiful complexion.

“She just looked absolutely amazing. Obviously I’d never seen her that close up before.

“She actually bent over and pinned the medal on me, so it doesn’t get much closer than that, does it?”

The Almodington resident was awarded the MBE for her work as the personal assistant to Sue Street, the permanent secretary for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It was she who nominated Mrs Chapman for the award.

She said: “It’s quite unusual for someone of my grade to get awards but she said I was outstanding in what I did, and my commitment.”

Seventeen years later, Mrs Chapman still cherishes the memory of meeting the Queen, and describes the day as ‘magical’.

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