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Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth the second and Prince Phillip on the steps at Portsmouth Guildhall

I photographed Her Majesty The Queen on many occasions, but I just wanted to share one moment I will never forget with you all this morning.

During the 50th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings, The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh hosted a banquet for world leaders and European royalty at Portsmouth Guildhall.

As a senior staff photographer at The News, my job that day was to cover the Guildhall Square where all heads of state were arriving and climbing the steps to enter the event through the Guildhalls giant main door.

Kings and Queens, President and Hilary Clinton, President Mitterrand of France, Lech Walesa of Poland, Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic arrived and went in while we waiting for Her Majesty.

The light started to fade and then it started to rain.

Finally the royal motorcade arrived and instead of pulling up in front of the building it diverted to the entrance under the Guildhall Steps. ‘Oh dear’, I thought. ‘I’m not going to get the picture the newspaper really wants!

Suddenly, the rain stopped and the sun broke out from the clouds behind the Guildhall, reflecting off the glass of the civic offices at my back and creating a beautiful pool of light at the top of the stairs.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when the the giant doors opened and The Queen and Prince Phillip stepped out into the amazing light and waved to the thousands of well wishers waiting to see her.

I took the picture which ended up on the front page of the souvenir edition of The News. I still have the note from Keith Ridley the deputy editor which I found in my my pigeon hole which said ‘We done Steve, you saved the day!’

I’ve often thought it was the light of heaven shining down on her. My that light be shining on her now.

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