I love examples of people behaving well, of good manners which, as the Victorians knew, were really a way of showing consideration for others. In my reading this week I came across such a story.
In 1967 Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother traveled to Maine for the dedication of a park in honor of her friend, the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR’s sons planned to escort her through a ceremony and tea, then conduct a tour of the President’s summer cottage at Campobello. That day, however, a heavy fog prevented their arrival. The only Roosevelt family member present when the Queen Mother’s yacht anchored was FDR’s 23 year-old grandson Christopher. The young man felt understandably nervous; he had never met Her Royal Highness, and he wasn’t familiar with his grandparents’ summer home.
Somehow he got through a welcoming speech and took his seat as the Queen Mother addressed the small crowd. Following the park’s dedication and tea with some locals, the time came for Christopher to take his distinguished guest on the dreaded tour. According to Will Swift in his book, The Roosevelts and the Royals, the young man “fell on his sword,” admitting to the Queen Mother, “I have never been to the cottage before. . . I would hardly be an adequate guide.” Her Majesty rose immediately rose to the occasion. “Christopher, isn’t that wonderful: we will be discovering the cottage together for the first time.” Swift says, “With just the right words, she had put him at ease.” (p. 320)
Tags: Campobello, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Queen Mother
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