What do you do when you get a call that you
are going to wine and dine with the future king of England? It was an
un-seasonally warm British sunny afternoon in July. I was wandering the grocery
store for some lunch when I got an unexpected call from my husband. Very rarely
does he call me in the middle of the afternoon from work, so I thought I better
answer. Before I could say hello he asked, “What are you doing next week? Fancy
having lunch with Charles and Camilla?” It was at that moment that I yelped and
almost had to call for clean up on aile 4, grown woman has just peed her pants!
A couple days later I received the
classiest and fanciest letter I have ever seen formally inviting little old
Yankee me and my marine husband to join The Prince of Wales and Duchess of
Cornwall at their stately country home, High Grove, for a formal tour of the
gardens followed with lunch and refreshments with the Prince and Duchess. I
could not believe I was holding an invitation to rub elbows with royalty! I had
only lived in England for two years and I had already clawed my way to the top
of the top of all social ladders. I was to wine and dine with a Prince and
Duchess, and fingers crossed, run into Will and Kate where I would form a life
long unbreakable friendship.
First things first I needed to find the
perfect impressionable dress that screamed “New posh BFF”. I went on a mad hunt
at every upscale store Poole had to offer (not too surprising I didn’t have
much choice). After running from old department store to even older department
store I found the most posh brand Poole has, a British designed Ted Baker royal
blue dress. It would have to do and it was, after all, their signature blue.
The morning arrived and I can’t remember
being more excited! Maybe it is just because I am looking back, but I could
quite possibly have been more excited for this Thursday in the middle of July
than the morning of my wedding. When we arrived at their country manor we were
escorted around the many gardens by one of Charles’s right hand men. He took us
through a typical English garden, through the exotic Moroccan garden, and
through a beautiful orchard, which supplies the ingredients for the official
royal chutneys and jams. We were told of Charles true passion of gardening and
which places in the garden where his favorite to stop and ponder after a hard
days work of princely duties and meetings with the Queen.
The time came to meet and greet with Prince
Charlie. He came over to me and it was love at first sight. I was totally
enthralled with every British word that came out of his royal mouth. It was
infatuating listening to him draw his a’s out almost like he was making fun of
his own countries silly accent.
And when he turned to me and reached for my hand we locked eyes and that
was the end. That is when he fell head over heals for an American girl with big
brown eyes and a charming southern twang. He couldn’t get enough of me and me
of him. He laughed at my jokes, as he tightly help my hand in his and joking
with Andy about re colonizing America turning and winking at my smitten face.
Charles and I dominated the conversation flirting with each other as if it were
my first high school crush. When his PA came to drag him away he held my
shoulder, gave me a grin, and said, “It was a pleasure meeting you”. I just
about melted. And to make it even better the lady next to me said in an overly
jealous tone, “Well, didn’t he take a liking to you?” What can I say? He has a
soft spot for an all American girl.
As we waited to speak with Camilla I was
dreaming up all the fun times we would soon be having with the royal family.
Fantasies of cricket on the lawn at Buckingham palace, sipping Pimms at the
last night of the proms, walking arm and arm with Kate helping pick out her
wedding china at Harrods, all came to a crashing halt when the Duchess ever so
delicately put out her tiny hand out to me and I grabbed it with my huge
American man hand giving my best howdy do grip and just about ripping her noble
hand right off her little arm. I could tell by her puckered lips that I may not
have made the best first impression. At that moment I knew I probably didn’t
meet the “new best friend” criteria and I would probably never be able to
mingle with this crowd and their wimpy handshakes. After all, they were all
just a bit too posh for this American brawd.
No comments:
Post a Comment