Our brush with royalty

After the parade we continued to stroll through the streets of The Hague, and came across the Palace gardens. We saw quite a crowd of people gathered at the gates behind the palace, staring at an empty car in an empty courtyard. Jennifer kindly asked a Dutchwoman ‘Who are we waiting for?’, to which the lady responded ‘The Queen!’.

Well, how exciting! We joined in the throng of middle-aged women and paparazzi (not even joking) and stood poised, camera at the ready, with bated breath, now also staring at an empty car in an empty courtyard.

We were in quite a flutter.

Sure enough, out she came. Offering a polite wave to her adoring fans, she hopped in the car and began to drive off.

At this point, the throng of middle-aged women and paparazzi, by now in a complete flap, began running towards the driveway outside the palace gates. Caught up in the excitement and confusion, we too found ourselves running towards the driveway. Monique, like a crazed royal-watcher sprinted through the crowd with elbows out, almost knocking over some equally crazed middle-aged women, clamoring to be in the presence of royalty*.

As the Queen drove past, Monique was so close that the car literally brushed past her, and she was able to get a close up photo that we will be able to keep for ever and ever and ever.

It all happened so quickly. She came, she waved, she went. We were left standing in the palace driveway with the rest of the middle-aged women, with flushed cheeks, each of us recounting our brush with royalty.

*Daniel has a tendency to exaggerate adjectives when writing about things I do. I was not crazed, I did not elbow anyone, and I did not sprint – I merely power walked. I just wanted to get a good shot. Who wouldn’t? Don’t believe everything Daniel says…he becoming more theatrical with every blog he writes ;)