Bishop recalls 'holding on for dear life' as Queen drove on her Norfolk estate
He's been sharing his memory of the Queen
A Church of England bishop has recalled “holding on for dear life” as he was driven by the Queen on her Norfolk estate.
The anecdote was recounted by Alan Smith as members of the House of Lords paid their respects and spoke of their fond memories of the monarch, following her death aged 96.
He was among a number to have stayed at Sandringham.
The Bishop of St Albans said: “Coming from a farming background, I had expressed interest in her racehorses and she was very keen to show them to me, so I was summoned outside.
“There was a Range Rover there, and she came out very brusquely and shouted across to me, ‘Jump in bishop, I’m driving’.
“She set off at a rate of knots and I was holding on for dear life.
“She taught me a great deal about prayer at that point, which is perhaps why she was called defender of the faith.”
Earlier, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, sparked laughter in the chamber as he recounted the holding of barbeques at Sandringham in January, labelling it “fortitude”.
The top cleric sparked further amusement when he added: “She had a dry sense of humour and the ability to spot the absurd. The Church of England was very capable of giving her material. But she never exercised that at the expense of others.”
Former diplomat and Foreign Office chief Lord Jay of Ewelme also recalled the Queen’s sense of fun, highlighted by when an ambassador forgot his formal credentials and so was forced to hand her a plain brown envelope in their place.
The independent crossbencher, who served as ambassador to France, said: “In my last job at the Foreign Office, I had the extraordinary privilege to be at Her Majesty’s side when she received new ambassadors.
“The Queen had been doing this for about 50 years and loved it when things went slightly awry.
“I remember that a very distinguished ambassador arrived by carriage at Buckingham Palace and had forgotten his credentials.
“An ever-helpful equerry gave him a plain brown envelope and said, ‘Present this to Her Majesty and all will be well’.
“The rather nervous ambassador entered the room and presented the Queen with an empty plain brown envelope.
“The Queen was generously pleased to accept the empty plain brown envelope and said, with a dignified twinkle in her eye, ‘How very kind, ambassador’.”
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