In 1984 Queen Elizabeth visited my home town of Windsor, Ontario. I was in Grade 4 at the time, and I was a huge fan of Lady Diana. I had caught full on Royal fever during the fuss leading up to her wedding to Prince Charles. I had a scrapbook where I would keep newspapers and magazine cuttings from whenever she was mentioned (When I was in my twenties I sold that scrapbook on eBay for close to $200).
So what I remember most of when the Queen came to town is how intensely disappointed I was that it was her visiting, and not her daughter-in-law. When the Queen came to town my grade school was there, lined up down Ottawa Street, dressed in our best, waving and smiling. I smuggled my camera along and took this photo of my classmates lined up in our snazzy 80s dress clothes,wielding the handmade letters of our welcome sign.
I also managed to snap this photo of one of the police cars that proceeded the Queen’s car. And then one of the teachers confiscated my darn camera, telling me I wasn’t there to take photos, I was there to wave and smile.
Then, if memory serves me right, the Queen drove by in a boring unmarked car, and I caught a brief glimpse of her gloved hand waving as the motorcade went by. I remember being unimpressed and disappointed.
What about you folks? Did any of you have a royals obsession in the 80s?
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