When Princess Anne popped in and asked: "Do you know where Her Majesty could get a taxi?" Russell Town, the local newsagent on the island of Gigha, was slightly surprised to say the least.
The Queen had decided to make an unscheduled stop during a week-long cruise around the Western Isles in Scotland so she could see Gigha's famous Achamore Gardens. As the tiny isle hasn't got a taxi service Russell put his Peugeot people carrier at the disposal of the country's most aristocratic lady for the ten-mile round trip.
"I was busy sorting out the papers when Princess Anne, her husband Commander Tim Laurence, Peter Phillips and his girlfriend Autumn Kelly came into the shop," he recounted. "They waited patiently until I had finished and then came up and introduced themselves."
At the aptly named Queen's Beach the shopkeeper picked up the royal party, including a lady-in-waiting, a detective and the Princess Royal, who'd cycled back to the ship by this time. Out of respect for his royal passenger's status Russell decided to keep quiet, but the sovereign had other ideas.
"She was a real chatterbox and started asking me lots of questions about my family and about local sights," said the newsagent. "When I saw my daughter at the side of the road and pointed her out, the Queen waved at her."
Although Russell jokes he'll apply for permission to put a By Royal Appointment sign in his car, it's more likely his reward will be a thank you letter from Buckingham Palace.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
