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Northamptonshire businessman Michael Markham has described meeting The Queen at Buckingham Palace as "the thrill of a lifetime".
Michael, 56, was among a specially selected group of 400 "pioneers" who were invited to take tea at Buckingham Palace - and the managing director of Kettering based Stanair Industrial Doors found himself rubbing shoulders with surviving Beatles Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Star, TV presenter Lord Winston, mountaineer Chris Bonnington, rock star Bob Geldof and former racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart.
Indeed, it was through Sir Jackie that Michael had the chance to talk to The Queen.
"I was having a chat with Sir Jackie, and she walked over - she has met him many times before," said Michael. "She spoke to Sir Jackie and then had a word with me - she asked me what I did and how business was.
"She was a very nice lady, she was very smart, but what struck me was how tiny she was.
"It was a thrill to be invited to join such elite company in the first place, and the whole evening was one of the highlights of my life," said Michael. "Buckingham Palace is a phenomenal place, I got to meet lots of people, and of course I had a natter with the Queen!"
The reception was held "to mark the contribution of pioneers to the life of the nation", and Mr Markham says the invitation took him completely by surprise. "I was invited because of our training schemes, and for the awards we won for that last year.
"It was a great honour for me personally, but most importantly, it's a wonderful recognition of all we've achieved at Stanair," he said. |
