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The royal family of Great Britain is in the news because recently crowned King Charles III is now the ruling monarch after the passing of his long-reigning mother, Queen Elizabeth II. His younger brother, the former Prince Andrew, has been named in the sex scandal of Jeffrey Epstein and has been stripped of his royal titles and is now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
I had passing acquaintances with both Andrew and Charles.
In 1985, I was a student in Britain, successfully pursuing a doctorate in political science from the London School of Economics. As part of my research, I attended a lecture for Royal Navy officers at Greenwich Naval Base, south of London. Andrew was in attendance.
His romance with Sarah Ferguson was in the news and he was the center of attention wherever he went. Surrounded by other officers, I observed that he was clearly enjoying the attention, kibbitzing and sharing laughter with his classmates.
I was seated in the press section, which drew his frequent attention. We exchanged eye contact.
Charles and I also had a passing acquaintance.
In 1977, I was the Public Affairs Officer for Naval Forces Europe, headquartered in a historic building near the American embassy in Grosvenor Square, London.
Our building had two entrances. The main entry was on North Audley Street, but there was a more grand ceremonial gateway on Grosvenor Square. That's where VIPs such as the American Secretary of the Navy and the British First Sea Lord would enter into a lobby/quarterdeck suitably festooned for welcoming such dignitaries. There were two openings to this ceremonial area.
When a VIP visit was scheduled, to ensure privacy and protocol decorum, a floor-to-ceiling accordian-
type separator closed off one large entryway. The other lobby entry was a doorway from my office into the lobby.
When a VIP visit was announced, my physical responsibility was to keep the door to my office closed until the visitor cleared the lobby, for which I allowed 30 minutes.
Anyway, 1977 marked the 25th year of Elizabeth's coronation and a special U.S. Navy aircraft carrier port visit was part of the festive hoopla. Charles, then the Prince of Wales, was coming to our headquarters for a briefing. I went into my VIP-arrival hibernation mode.
I waited 30 minutes after his estimated time of arrival before opening my office door and taking a step into the lobby. But wait: Charles was running late and had just made his grand entrance. His back was toward me as aides with epaulets scurried about.
I quickly withdrew.
Now, can I claim to have rubbed elbows with King Charles II and the former Prince Andrew? No.
Can I claim to have been in their presence? Yes. Sort of.