Today saw the re-launch of Her Majesty’s Website and myself along with just under 100 others were invited to attend a reception at Buckingham Palace to honour this occasion.
What to ask?
After receiving the invitation back in early January I had been trying to think about what I might actually say to the Queen if I got the chance to talk to her. “Ever thought of renting those parking spaces in the forecourt Ma’am?”, was one of the more popular suggestions. It is certainly a prime location for hedge fund managers, tourists and even visiting Presidents! I am confident that she could earn at least £10,000 per parking spot per year and as you can see from the photo… there is plenty of space to go around.
Preparation
After spending far too much money on a new suit, shirt, tie, shoes and belt and trying a number of different combinations of each, I set out this morning to the palace, constantly checking that I had my invitation stored in a secure pocket. The only dilemma left was to decide on whether to take the tube and walk through the front gates of the palace, or to drive and park inside (I was given a permit!).
Although it would have made a better story if I had driven and parked within the palace walls, London traffic always seems to work against me so I didn’t want to take any risks.
After reading on the tube about Spain’s demolition of the English football team the night before, I proceeded through Green Park towards Buckingham Palace. It was a glorious day without a cloud in the sky and therefore the Victoria memorial was mobbed by tourists and there was a lovely atmosphere about the place. I was 20 minutes early so I decided to take a few photos, enjoy the fresh air and of course send a few tweets on Twitter.
Entering the Palace
On entering through the front gates, I realised that I had walked in to a sea of unknown faces. However I eventually saw a friendly face in Spencer Kelly from BBC Click and went about starting a conversation with him. It is rather strange feeling that you know someone when you have only met through a TV screen.
Once we handed in our coats, (funnily enough, a much more organised system than your average nightclub), we proceeded to the `gallery room` where we were offered nibbles, champagne, orange juice and the opportunity to walk around and enjoy our surroundings.
Mingling with the Crowd
Shortly after, we were joined by a representative from Number 10 (the guy who twitters for Downing Street!) and also Martin Lewis from MoneySavingExpert.
At about 1pm, there was a sudden silence as the doors opened leading in to the blue room (original name). Rather strangely, standing right there in front of me was Her Majesty the Queen dressed in an immaculate light green outfit. Spencer had told me earlier that as soon as she says “that’s interesting” to you, it is supposedly code for “you are boring me”. I wasn’t sure whether to say something interesting or just shake and walk. Fortunately everybody was shaking and walking so the decision was made for me. We proceeded to walk in an orderly line and shake her hand while another gentleman read out our names. Needless to say, he pronounced my name wrong.
The Launch
After gathering in another beautifully decorated room and after the Queen had finished her shaking hands routine, she walked up to the front of the room in front of the TV screen where Sir Tim Berners Lee (the founder of the world wide web) was at the podium ready to introduce the new website.
After a short video presentation of the old site and a showcase on how children use the web now, compared to how they did back in 1997, he thrusted a remote control in the direction of a rather shocked Queen which triggered some sniggering from the audience. After a push of a button the site was officially launched and to be honest, she looked rather bemused by the whole thing (I found out later, that she has never used the internet herself but everyone else in the Royal Household relies upon it).
Some networking… with the Queen
Quail’s eggs, sausages, mini-pasties and some rather tasty smoked salmon tartlets were moving around the room while I continued my conversation with Martin, Spencer, Ian (from Number 10) and we were soon joined by Rory Cellan-Jones. We had started a little discussion about online privacy and the pros and cons of the openness of the web when were told by a member of the Royal Household that the Queen would soon be coming over to talk to us.
After panning out in to a semi-circle, the five of us found ourselves standing in front of probably the most famous person on the planet (maybe Obama has now overtaken her). After she recognised Spencer and Rory from the TV we started talking about her use of the web, how the web has evolved and how people are starting to use the internet at such a young age. She made great conversation and even laughed at and made a few jokes.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to ask her about her parking situation or that of the Royal Carriage but I did cheekily pass on my business card to a member of her staff. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.
After an interesting conversation with Professor Dame Wendy Hall(another pioneer of the world wide web) and chatting with a few other people I proceeded down the grand staircase to get my coat and make the slow walk back to the front gates.
We were not allowed cameras so I have no photos from inside the Palace, just this one from my phone of me walking back towards the front gates.
Overall, it was a truly memorable few hours and one I would love to experience again. It was a great honour to be invited and I hope that in time, ParkatmyHouse.com will benefit from some of the connections made at the event.
Thank you your Majesty.
