What’s new? Oh not much. I’ve just been hanging out with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. You know, the usual.
Yawn.
Yes, it was just this past Sunday, the day before my Mom turned 94 and my son turned 21 as a matter of fact.
Hanging Out With The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Unless you’re not a fan, you must know that Will and Kate are visiting my part of the world.
My daughter agreed with me that it would be a shame if we didn’t make an effort to see them on the one day they were visiting Vancouver. So, we got up at 05:30 and after stumbling above shot out the door for the Skytrain, our rapid transit wonder. Naturally, in true Just TypiKel fashion, we discovered the first Skytrain doesn’t depart on Sundays until 07:34, didn’t we? Will and Kate were due to fly into Vancouver’s harbour at 10:15ish. The earliest Skytrain would get us downtown far too late to nab a front row viewing spot. We’d have to drive downtown.
Fine. I wheeled into our favourite hotel parking lot, located about six blocks from our destination of Jack Poole Plaza, home to Vancouver’s impressive 2010 Fire and Ice Olympic Torch. (A quick aside. Jack Poole was the guy responsible for bringing the 2o1o Winter Olympics to Vancouver. A charismatic, thoughtful gem, he passed away from pancreatic cancer mere hours after the 2010 Olympic Torch was first lit in Olympia, Greece).
After purchasing a fortune’s worth of parking time we trotted down. Would there be any “view-worthy” space left?
Mercifully there were still some openings against the railing. The path along which the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would stroll, was lined with metal fencing on both sides. This is what it looked like at 7:00 AM, three and a half hours prior to the arrival.
So, how does one pass that chunk of time? Easily. Just focus on the folks around you. We learned that Knitting Gal always brings a project with her when she has to wait. Be it a Doctor’s appointment, a Skytrain ride or a long wait for the future King of England, she always has something with her. Today it was this gorgeous cowl scarf that she was knitting for herself. She was soon joined by a woman clutching a professionally printed sign that read “I met your mother in 1986, Will. Come talk to me.” Beside them, a mom, already plopped down on a blanket, began to feed treats of every conceivable sugar concoction to her two young daughters. They couldn’t have been happier.
An hour before the Royals were due, a plane landed and several people spilled out. We became quickly attuned to those sporting discrete Royal Tour lanyards. They were obviously the advance guard and our particular fave were the two who quietly strolled by carrying a suit bag and pulling a small piece of luggage. Change of clothes for the Royals, perhaps?
When a group of eight or so RCMP officers marched by, everyone broke out into cheers and loud applause. The officers smiled, some waved and the last chap offered up a small salute of recognition.
This is what it looked like an hour before the arrival.
As we got closer, the security got tighter. Men dressed in camo popped up on nearby roofs and Vancouver Police dog handlers strolled by with their sniffer dogs.
Finally it was time. With my daughter downstreaming the arrival live, we huddled around her phone and watched the floatplane land; the towering buildings blotted out any hope of seeing it otherwise. The air around us crackled with excitement. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were here.
Our first official notification came when the paparazzi arrived and stopped just inches from us. All you could hear was the buzz of their shutter lenses opening and shutting. On repeat.
And then. This.
20 minutes and it was all over. The Duke and Duchess were in their waiting car and whisked off to their first appointment.
My most favourite memory?
When William, the Duke of Cambridge, looked into my eyes, greeted me with the most British of “hellos”and reached out to shake my hand.
Boom.
Enough about me and my hanging out with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I’m curious about you. Did you know that Queen Elizabeth is the monarch of Canada? Are you a fan of all things Royal? Or do you care more about the Kansas City version? If you’d care to share, I’d love to hear.
If you’d like some inside scoop on Kate and William’s staff, check out this insightful post by The Royal Post, one of my favourite blogs.
34 Responses
Wow!! With this royal encounter will we have to greet you differently at the dog park from now on???
Lucky you to catch a glimpse of our Royals – great picture and even greater story.
Now tea time it is!!
A simple curtsey will do, Janice. I’m not fussy. Yes, to tea time! Preferably with one or six of those yummy birthday floral cupcakes.
Wow, so excited for you. Shaking Will’s hand must have made it all worthwhile ! Have you washed your hand yet ? I loved Kate’s dress, she always looks amazing.
Yes, I knew you’d understand, Jane. It truly was worthwhile. The wait was actually a hoot, listening to everyone. Some were boasting about previous handshake experiences and others were in possession of the most incredible souvenirs they were hoping to hand over. Have to say I washed my hand as soon as possible because I saw how many he was shaking … And yes, that dress was wonderful as have been her subsequent outfits. She’s got one heck of a great adviser.
I would expect nothing less than that Prince William would say hello and shake your hand, Kelly! I’m so happy that it all worked out! And thanks for sharing all of your great photos!
Hi Donna! It was such fun I must say. Prince William does it right – he looks you in the eye and his handshake is firm.
OMG… I hope that Kate didn’t catch that flirty look that William gave you! Sis, you could have created an international incident. That would make a great story for Chicken Soup for the Philanderer’s Soul. Have a great weekend.
Hahahahaha! Great comment, Sis. I think we got away with it as Kate was SO focussed on the other side. Have a wonderful weekend yourself!
Your adventure sounds like a great bucket list opportunity. What a wonderful picture of Kate. With her tiny figure it’s hard to believe she’s the mother of two.
It was worth waiting three and a half hours to be able to get that photo, Kathy. She is tiny, tiny, tiny. However, when you look at her mother you can see she comes by it honestly.
I’ve been thinking of you every time I see coverage of the Royals visit to Canada – how exciting! Not many of us can say we’ve rubbed elbows (or shook hands) with a prince 🙂
It was really exciting, Dana. I thought of you and how you would have made an effort to be down there actually. It was right by the Olympic Torch. I think you may have ridden your bikes by there.
I adore Will and Kate! What a thrill to see them up-close and in person. And to get a “hello” and handshake! Be still my Royal-loving heart. Kudos to your daughter to think of live streaming so you’d have the heads up on their arrival. I’m glad that the only Typikel part of the day was needing to drive (and invest $$$$$$$ in parking). 😉
Yes, I’ll be paying off the parking fee for weeks, Mo. However, the memory will stay with us much longer. It was all worth it! I was really impressed with the way the two of them worked the crowd as they made a huge effort to make it appear as if they were delighted to be there. Today they are back in Victoria with their children and it’s a quiet day with only a kids’ party scheduled. Oh to be on the invitation list for that one, ‘eh?
Right – had to figure something went amiss along the way. Glad you had wheels and an easy alternative plan. Looks like your timing was just right. What a fun outing for you and your daughter to share.
Thanks, Nanette. It was so fortunate that we had a car. It would have been expensive to take a taxi (no Uber here) and the bus would have taken forever. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why there was still room up front at 7:00 AM. Everyone else was in the same boat trying to get downtown.
Omg, this is so awesome and seriously jealous as I would love to meet them even if just for a brief moment’s time!! 🙂
It was pretty cool, Janine. Hopefully they’ll visit your part of the world one day or you can visit their’s!
First, Monty Hall. Now, Will and Kate.
It’s just an honor, scratch that, an honour to be called your blogging buddy.
Eh.
In all seriousness, what fun!! A cool memory with your daughter. And I’d try selling that dynamite picture of Kate. $$$
Hahahaha! Bless you for remembering the Monty Hall story, Katy. I must tell you about the time I was dragged out of bed and taken to the airport to meet John Diefenbaker, our Prime Minister at the time. I’ve got photographic proof of that delight as well.
Wait, you shook hands?! How cool is that. I just love the Duke and Duchess. They are a class act!
I did shake hands with Prince William, Jen. I’m thrilled to be able to say it was a good handshake, firm and quick. He also looked me in the eye, albeit briefly, before moving on to the gal beside me who was clutching flowers.
How fun Kelly, and how perfect the day started out with a little travel plan snafu – it makes it truly TypiKel! But now for the important thing – if you shook the Prince’s hand, and I meet you and shake your hand, how many degrees of separation is that from royalty for me. Can I wear a crown?
You certainly may wear a crown, Deborah. Don it this minute!
OMG! OMG! OMG! Right, Kelly? Or should I say, “righto!?” I’m grinning from ear to ear. So thrilled for you! Thanks for letting me live vicariously through your experience!
It really was OMG worthy, Michelle. It was such a hoot. And yes, righto, his accent is even stronger than you’d expect.
What a fun experience! I love that you met and got to know some of the people around you. The paparazzi are ridiculous, too. Thanks so much for joining us at the #happynowlinkup!
My pleasure, Leslie. I’m so glad to have found #happynowlinkup. What a wonderful group you’re assembled.
My mom is a fan of all things Royal. So she’d have been out there too. I’m going to direct her to your other post. That’s very cool that you got a fancy british hello and handshake from Will!
Now at the very end of the second photo, what is that? It looks like a whale jumping out of the water.
Oh, thanks for asking, Kenya. It is a whale! It’s a metal sculpture of an orca by Douglas Coupland, a Vancouver writer and sculptor, called Digital Orca. You’ve got a good eye.
Wow, fancy lifestyle, hanging with the duke and duchess.. :)))
Ha! Yes, pretty fancy, ‘eh? Shame it’s not on a regular basis, but still …
So exciting! I loved your pictures on IG, and the story is even more fun! We seriously thought about coming up for the day, but I was so sick it just wasn’t possible. Such a memorable experience!
I am so very sorry you’ve been so ill and that the timing was so poor, Lana. The Royals will simply just have to pay us another visit!