Special memories shared from The Queen's 2008 visit to Whitehaven

The late monarch and her husband visited the town on June 5, 2008 and were guests of honour at a special day to mark the 300th anniversary of Whitehaven town and harbour, as well as opening the refurbished Beacon museum.

Those who were lucky enough to meet Her Majesty The Queen have recalled special memories from the day and shared what it was like to meet the longest reigning monarch in British history.

Gerard Richardson MBE had the honour of hosting the Queen during her walk around the harbour and said it was one of the most memorable moments of his life.

He said: “It was like walking round the harbour with an old friend. She was inquisitive about everything from the type of fencing barriers we were using, to the different school uniforms.

“She was particularly taken by the US Navy links though and was actually very knowledgeable about John Paul Jones but then I guess that has a lot to do with her family losing the American colonies.

“Her Majesty asked if I had any family down for the visit and I said she would meet my wife and that my daughter was a flower girl but when I told her my mum and dad were in the crowd, she insisted we make a beeline for them and she was just lovely with them.

“On the way back to her car she made a point of picking them out again and told them they should be proud as I’d been a good host and that was just totally unexpected.

“I’ve sworn two oaths to her in my life as a serviceman and a magistrate so you can imagine this was one of the most memorable hours of my life.

“When we watched the RAF jet perform its fly past she was so delighted and it just seemed that she took an interest in every tiny aspect of the visit.

“When I was saying goodbye at the end, she asked if I’d ever been to hers and when I said no, she said to the Duke of Edinburgh, ‘Phillip we must have Mr Richardson round to ours’. A week later Dianne and I received garden party invites. 

“If I lived to 200 I don’t think I could ever beat that for a memory. Her Majesty really was a special person.”

Iain Irving, former general manager at Nuclear Management Partners, was photographed laughing with the Queen after a comment Prince Philip had made about him wearing a kilt.

Mr Irving recalled: “Prince Philip came along first. I had my kilt on and he quipped that I must be a refugee from over the border!”

The Queen had then asked what Prince Philip had said and began laughing when Her Majesty was told what had been said.

Mr Irving added: “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was great. More importantly for me, my kids got to meet her. They gave her flowers. She went out of her way to speak to all of the children.

“She was very pleasant. She was chatting away. She was fun and very relaxed. It was a brilliant day. Everything went perfectly.”

Don Messenger, who sang for The Queen with Whitehaven Male Voice Choir outside the Beacon, said: “It was wonderful. We saw her going in then waited for her coming out.

“She turned and looked at the choir and listened for a little while, then walked on and smiled.

“It was a wonderful occasion to sing for Her Majesty. It was an honour to be invited to sing for the Queen.

"It was very moving.

“Her passing has been sad for everyone but more poignant for me and the choir that we were able to sing for her on that occasion.”

Keith Hitchen, who was mayor of Copeland at the time, said: "It was a wonderful experience. A very gracious lady who was pleased to be visiting Whitehaven and a very enjoyable day was spent with dignitaries from the borough, particularly the business people of Whitehaven."

READ MORE: Proclamation of King Charles III held at St Nicholas' Gardens in Whitehaven