It was the assignment of a lifetime — that ended in fears I would be thrown in the Tower of London..The Queen and Prince Philip visited Alberta from May 23 to May 25, 2005, to celebrate Alberta's centennial and I was assigned to coordinate the Calgary Sun’s coverage of the historic trip..For a British-born monarchist, this would be a great event for me — so you can imagine my excitement when an envelope arrived addressed to me at the Sun that had an oh-so-regal feeling..Inside was an embossed invitation: "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II commands David Naylor to attend a reception at the Crystal Ballroom of the Palliser Hotel.".Every royal tour usually includes a private reception with Her Majesty. These gatherings are strictly off-the-record and governed by protocol. No selfies allowed..I won’t mention I had been kicked off a previous Princess Anne visit to Calgary with other members of the media. That’s a story for another time..The big day arrived and reporter Vickie Megrath and I arrived at the Palliser in our Sunday finest..We joined the small line waiting to get into the ballroom, working our way to the front..I paused in the entrance, and there she was. It was the freakin’ Queen; standing by herself, about 5 metres away..The first thought through my mind was ‘she has her purse.’ The Queen always has a purse with her in public..“Your Majesty, David Naylor,” boomed a military adjunct, whose chest was adorned with shiny medals..I walked the five metres towards her Majesty. How I made it without my legs buckling, I do not know to this day..“Your Majesty,” I croaked, shaking the Queen’s hand in the proper protocol-correct way..I managed to shuffle away without passing out. Vickie and I then found a place in the room where champagne and apples were brought by white-gloved servers. And, no, it wasn’t chicken wings..Vickie and I became focused on the Queen as she meet everyone in line. We were joined by the late Bernice Huxtable, a reporter for the Calgary Herald. .As she greeted the last person in line, a gin and tonic magically appeared in the Queen’s hands, as she began to circulate the room..As she approached the three of us, Bernice made the crucial error of taking a bite of one the the canapés..And then she was with us. The first thing you notice is how short she is..She started by asking me what my job was. I think I mumbled something about being in charge of the Sun’s coverage and how excited we all were to see her. I don’t really remember..But what happened next is burned into my memory..Remember poor Bernice had just taken a mouthful of food and as she spoke, she spit on the Queen!.I watched in horror as a piece of food arced gracefully through the air and scored a direct hit on the Queen’s shoulder. .Vickie and I stole a glance at each other and I'm certain we thought exactly the same thing: “HOLY %$#@. SHE JUST SPIT ON THE QUEEN. WE’RE GONNA GET SENT TO THE TOWER.” .But you know what? The Queen didn’t even bat an eyelash. She must have seen it coming and made no move to get out of the way or brush off the treasonous crumb..The next few moments are a blur and the Queen was soon off to meet with the next group..There was another incident I remember when a Herald reporter, not Bernice, was escorted out by security for asking the Queen her thoughts on the Meech Lake Accord. “My readers have the right to know,” he exclaimed as he was shown the door..The Queen handled both incidents as she has always done, with dignity and grace..Well, we had a great story to tell our colleagues as we went back to the newsroom. Even though these events are strictly off-the-record, Bernice wrote about her experience in the Herald. Can't say I blame her. For that she had her press credentials pulled for the rest of the tour..An amazing experience with an amazing woman. Memories to last a lifetime..The Queen is dead. Long live the King.
