We had just boarded the Queen Elizabeth II for our annual winter cruise to the USA. There was an announcement that the sailing would be delayed because the Queen Mother was coming aboard for lunch. Mom told me we were going down to the entrance to see her board. So we did with a dozen or more others. Mom was as always dressed up for boarding. We were standing in the entrance when what had to be a security person came aboard first and said to the crew. You have to move these people back. Mom distressed said out loud “Oh No!!” The security man looked her up and down and apparently liked what he saw and turned to her and said, “But you madam can QUIETLY stand here with me”. We all were pushed back. The Queen Mother came aboard and immediately came over to where we all were standing and started talking to the people. She then started into the open area of the ship and stopped at Mom and the Security guard and asked Mom “Are you going on this voyage?” Mom did what every little Swedish Girl learns at a young age and gave her a small courtesy and said “Yes Ma’am”. The Queen mother smiled and said “you’re so lucky, she’s such a beautiful ship isn’t she” and went off to her lunch. I scraped Mom off the ceiling and we moved on to find a bar and some champagne. She was so thrilled: “She actually spoke to me”. My royalty lover had hit the top of the Royal heap. The voyage was a complete success. (It was the roughest crossing we ever had. The North Atlantic in December is no millpond, But that’s another story!)
Birgitta was a royalty nerd. She knew every member of every royal family, the names and ages of their children and grandchildren. Both sitting royalty and the pretenders to the throne of the countries no longer in power. She knew the history of each family and the faces and names of their ancestors. It was one her great interests and like all other things that held her interest she made her quiet effort to become expert in the field. Her knowledge of the subject was astounding.