The Commonwealth has a population of some 2.6 billion people, so it’s perhaps no surprise that the Queen has only managed to get to Wymondham once in her record-breaking 70-year reign.
A rainy day in February 2002 saw Her Majesty officially open Norfolk Police Headquarters. But though that may now be a distant twenty years ago, for the group of 250 or gathered under the dark clouds that day, the memories haven’t faded.
Corrine Barrett’s two children had made their own flags at home with their Nanny Barrett. Her son Casey was just 3 years old, while her daughter Elise was 5. They can be seen below clasping handfuls of daffodils they had picked from the garden to present to the Queen, which she graciously accepted saying they were lovely.
Her stunning photo (top of this article) not only brilliantly captures the monarch as she greets the excited onlookers but also cheerfully harks back to an age before digital photography in the children’s cameras, held ready to get that all-important snap. The Queen can be seen receiving flowers with the Duke of Edinburgh in tow in Corrine’s final photo below:
For Lynda Moore, it was the weather on the day that sticks out. She’d rushed from school with her two children, 4 and 6 to get a sight of the Queen. She recalls the skies growing a dark navy blue while eagerly waiting for the monarch to emerge from her tour of the building. And then the downpour came, soaking everyone from head to toe.
Her photo above captures a beautiful rainbow that appeared shortly before the Queen’s public meet and greet, which was delayed to let the deluge pass. The Queen can be seen chatting to senior members of Norfolk Police in a lighthearted exchange in Lynda’s second photo below:
Lynda says she remembers the Royal party were appreciative of the commitment everyone outside had shown in sticking out the weather. And before they knew it, the Queen was back in her car.
“Everyone got good views of them and then off we squelched!”
It’s a day that Wendy Cousins holds dear. She’s held onto her own memento of the occasion all this time, a clipping from the day’s Norwich Evening News. In a spot of good luck, her son can be seen under the policeman’s hat in the newspaper’s bottom left image, in an impressive debut in the art of photobombing.
Some great photos and fond memories from a fleeting visit. Thanks to everyone that contributed and allowed us to share them with our readers.
Let’s hope for better weather as we celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee over the weekend in June.
Long to rain reign over us.
