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Chris Wilson: "The Palace Gatecrasher"

On my mother's side of the family I had an aunt and uncle who were, at the time of the Queen's Coronation, very much involved in the public life of Belfast and Northern Ireland. My uncle, because of business interests, was unable to go over to London until the actual Coronation Day, Tuesday 2nd June 1953. In his place I accompanied my aunt to London on Wednesday 27th May.

We travelled overnight on the British Railways Belfast to Heysham steamer and at 7 o'clock on Thursday morning 28th May boarded the British Railways Ulster Express to Euston Station. On the journey to Euston my aunt informed me that I would be going that afternoon with her to the garden party at Buckingham Palace. There was, however, one slight problem. I had no personal invitation from the Lord Chamberlain to attend the garden party. My aunt had her invitation and my uncle's and, being a resourceful lady, she devised a plan which she proceeded to outline to me as the Ulster Express carried us through the outer boroughs of London. She would take me with her in the already hired chauffer driven car. At the Palace she would tender the two invitations. If I was barred entry, she would instruct the chauffer to keep me in the car and she would go unaccompanied to the garden party.

At fourteen years of age and wearing my Belfast High School uniform, I set off with my aunt in the hired limousine from our hotel in Southampton Row for the Palace. The entire world seemed to be in London. The progress of the car was at walking pace until we reached the Mall where the police had a designated route for the garden party guests' cars. However, members of the Queen's family had priority and our car, with all the other guests' cars, was stopped at Clarence House until the car containing the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret passed along to the Palace. At the Victoria Memorial, because of the great number of guests arriving, the police were allowing only every other car to drive through the main gates of the Palace. The other cars were being directed to a lesser important entrance. I felt rather guilty when the car containing the then Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and his wife was directed to the lesser gate and I was transported through the main gate. I assume that they both had proper invitations.

Now it was too late to change my mind. Our car was in the inner courtyard and was stopping at the main door. My aunt got out, with me following. We joined the line of guests moving slowly towards a livered footman. My aunt, ever resourceful, put my uncle's invitation below her invitation and handed both to the footman, who accepted them without a word. In those innocent days before security checks, I was in. Across a beautifully furnished hallway, through, what were then called, french windows, down steps and we were mingling with the other guests on the Palace lawns. At 4.30pm precisely the band of one of the Guards' regiments played the National Anthem and the young Queen, her Consort, the Duke of Edinburgh, and other members of the Royal Family appeared at the top of the garden steps. They came down onto the lawns and spoke with many of their guests. I was very relieved that they did not speak with me. I would have given away my gate crashing by not knowing what or whom I represented for my presence there.

Small details make memories of that day. I remember an elderly lady picking daisies and grass leaves to take home as a reminder of her day at the Palace. And I can still taste the exquisite food, of which I could eat as much as I wished. Well all good things come to an end. At 6.00pm we, and all the other guests, made our way up the steps, through the french windows and across the hallway to our cars. As we drove out through the main Palace gates and into the London evening traffic, I wondered if anyone would ever discover my secret. Except for my own family, the first time I confessed to gate crashing the Palace was on Your Place and Mine in June last year (2003), fifty years after the event.