A former royal protection officer fondly recalled the chats he had with the Queen about astronomy. And the unfortunate time he used the f-word in front of her - on his first day at work.
Duncan Gowin, 73, guarded the Queen for five years from 1984 until his retirement in 1989. During that period he says he met his old boss up to 1,200 times.
The 73-year-old spoke to The Mirror after visiting Buckingham Palace to pay tribute to the Queen after her death on September 8. He said: “The Queen was a very special person.
“I chatted to her on many occasions. When I was at Balmoral, they would go for barbecues and come back late, around midnight.
“The Queen would come out to walk the corgis. I’d be up a tree as part of the protection plan.
"If she wanted to speak to me she’d flash her torch and I’d come down. She was an incredible astronomer, pointing out the stars, and so kind, always asking after my wife and daughter.”
After Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace in 1982, a royalty protection officer would patrol outside her bedroom every night. Duncan said: “If the officer was on a break I’d take over.”
Duncan also recalled how his first day on duty at Balmoral was almost his last. He said: “One of the Queen’s Shire horses got its leg stuck in a single strand wire fence.
“I called a ghillie to bring pliers to cut the strand and free the horse. It was only a minute or two, but it seemed like an hour.
"The ghillie turns up in a Land Rover, and I said, ‘Where the f*** have you been?’ Then I noticed that the Queen was with him. I was so embarrassed. I apologised profusely.
“But she never ever mentioned it again. Unlike my boss, who said, ‘This was your first day at Balmoral, and it may well be your last. Luckily, it wasn’t.”
Duncan, a Scot now living in Leatherhead, Surrey, also recalled how staff would get invited to Highland balls.
He said: “I had wonderful times at Balmoral. We were invited to dances. All the staff. I have very happy memories."
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