Yesterday my mother and father were invited by the British Ambassador to a garden party in honor of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her husband HRH the Duke. Since my father was not well enough to sit for a long outdoor wait and then stand for protocol, my mother asked me to take her, after checking with the Ambassador that this would be all right. So I got up, got into my best suit, and was taken from their home in Haramel a few hundred yards to the Ambassador's residence in my parent's Diwan car.
We arrived at about 9:15 AM, as we were given special VIP privileges, while most people arrived at 8AM and parked in a nearby Boat Marina and were shuttled up in buses. We were met by an Embassy staff lady and taken to the small shaded VIP pavilion, where there were about a dozen chairs and about twice that number of people milling around. The rest of the garden had about 300 guests, all of them British except for Ambassadors and their mates from other countries, including the US Ambassador. I found a seat for Mother and we were offered some cookies and soft drinks, which I declined as there was not any likelyhood of an opportunity to go to the men's room! Our VIP area was initially populated mainly by Ministers of the Omani Government, and a couple of high military officers. Our host Ambassador Gukian stopped by periodically, and at one point he suggested that it would be nice if we sent one of my parents' books, The Doctor and the Teacher, which was about life during the period from 1955 to 1970 in Oman, to the Queen and Prince Phillip. We agreed to do so as soon as we returned to the house. He also asked me to place my mother in the first chair toward the walkway when the Queen's arrival was imminent.
Several people joined the VIP group for discussions, and some paid their respects to Mother, always asking about my father as well. One was the commandant of the Air Force, who said his wife always asked about her old teacher, Eloise. Another was Mohammed Riyami, who was very friendly, a former official in the Ministry of Information and I think a businessman now. Others were ministers, including the Minister of Commerce, Maqbul Sultan, the two Omani women ministers who controlled Tourism and Higher Education, respectively, and who sat next to Mother. She was also kept company by Madam Virginia, the widow of one of the Royal Family of Oman, who was originally from England. I had a chance to greet several of them, and particularly to say "Hello" to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Yusif Alawi, who I had met with over 20 years before when obtaining his permission and support to form an American Business Council in Oman. He remembered the meeting, and said it was over twenty years before, which was correct. I also met Ahmed Makki, who is responsible for the finance function in the Government.
The British Foreign Minister's wife was brought over to chat, and then she sent over her husband to speak to my mother, who was the only non-Omani present who had been in Oman since 1955. Mom told them about some of the hardships of the old days, no air conditioning or public water supplies, endemic malaria, non-availability of many foods, etc. By about 10 am I moved my mother to the first chair on the Queen's route, and Madam Virginia sat on a small end table just behind her, while an older man, Brian Richey, sat on another end table. I was glad that neither table broke! They sat there because they could not be in the rear seating but needed to be up near where the Queen would pass.
At about this point everyone had been standing expectantly waiting for the Queen for about a half hour. After some bagpipe music, I finally spotted the Queen coming up the path to where we waited and alerted the VIP's waiting for her. The local American/British School band played "God Save the Queen" as people and the royal couple stood, and then we all clapped. The Queen and her husband walked up the path with the Ambassador, who led the Queen directly to Mom, introducing her as someone who had been here working since 1955, and had served the country well. Mom shook hands and the Queen asked what she did, and she explained that my father and she had been missionaries, he a surgeon and she a teacher, particularly of English. Mom mentioned some of the hardships, malaria, heat, etc. The Ambassador introduced me as well, and I shook hands with her, and said a few words supporting Mom's description of the early days. After a couple of minutes, the Queen passed down the line of other Ministerial VIP's, and Prince Phillip did the same, talking to those that the Queen just said "Hello" to. After greeting the 20 people in the VIP area, they then went through the line of Ambassadors and lower officials (another perhaps 40 people) and then wandered about in the garden with the Ambassador, greeting groups of ordinary British citizens who had been invited. The students kept their band and singers going. They toured some local handicraft makers, greeted the school kids, who gave them a synchnonized "Hip hip hooray", and then departed about an hour after arrival.
At this point some of the other Omani and British non-VIP's came up to greet Mom, and then the French Ambassador was brought over by Mohammed Riyami and said she wanted to see their sea shells. I told her that I would be doing a presentation on Omani shells on coming Tuesday at the Bustan Hotel, and that probably Dad would be there to answer any questions that I couldn't, and that she would be welcome then or at a private visit to the house. The US Ambassador and his wife then helped me take Mom to cross the uneven path out to where the car should come to pick us up. We had to wait a while as all the cars were trying to pick up their passengers. A British naval officer in full white dress uniform opened the door for Mom's car, which would have been a great picture. There were two warships standing just offshore and clearly visible, one British and one Omani, to provide protection. We finally left the Ambassador's residence after 11:30, having had an exciting opportunity to meet Queen Elizabeth.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment