An ABBA Voyage concert-goer shared the emotional moment she met the Queen on her silver jubilee in 1997, when she paid tribute to the late monarch after her death during a visit to London’s Buckingham Palace on Friday.
She and some of her fellow music fans stood outside the royal residence less than 24 hours on Thursday after learning of the Queen’s death at Balmoral, Scotland.
After viewing ABBA’s virtual concert residence at the purpose-built venue in East London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a pop fan was asked what the Queen meant to her, prompting her to explain: ‘What she meant to me – I am very royalist – is stability, someone to look up to, aspire to, that she represented our country very well.
Tribute: An ABBA Voyage concert-goer shared the emotional moment she met the Queen on her silver jubilee in 1997 as she paid tribute to the late monarch on Friday
“I met her once on a walk and she just came up to me and talked to me, and she was a normal person. It was so beautiful, you know, she was the queen, she just came over and just talked in general, and it was really nice.
‘She was wonderful. I gave her some flowers and we talked about the flowers, and it was so wonderful. It’s been a long time, but it just comes back to me.
“It was her 25th year on the throne, it was her silver jubilee.”
Farewell: She and some of her fellow music fans stood outside the royal residence less than 24 hours after learning of the Queen’s death at Balmoral in Scotland on Thursday (the Queen pictured in February)
She previously explained: “We came to the ABBA concert yesterday and when she died we decided to come up this morning to pay our respects because we are in London and that is the right thing to do.”
When asked how they felt, another member of the group said, “Just shocked, and it’s sad because she’s always been there, isn’t it.
“She just held herself with so much class and so much dignity, and I don’t think you see that anymore.
Sincere words: After watching ABBA’s virtual concert at the purpose-built venue in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a pop fan was asked what the Queen meant to her
Looking back: The ABBA fan said she had met the Queen during her Silver Jubilee in 1977 (the Queen pictured on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the late Earl Mountbatten of Burma (left), and the late Duke of Edinburgh (right) during the silver anniversary in 1977)
“She was a great head of state and we wanted to come here to pay our respects.”
The moment she learned of the Queen’s death, the group member continued, “I got a message and I put it on the news and it came up.
“We were all in the room and we were about to leave and it was breaking news, and Huw Edwards on the BBC said it, so we took a moment because it was just shocking.”
Another member of the group explained how she and her friends toasted the Queen, adding: “We were a little emotional because we were excited for our event, but they held a minute of silence before the concert.”
Toast: The group said they were toasting the Queen when the news of her death broke on Thursday before going to the ABBA concert where there was a minute of silence.
It comes as Britain today mourns the death of its beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. After a remarkable 70 years on the throne, the longest reigning royal family died ‘peacefully’ yesterday at the age of 96 in Balmoral, Scotland.
Her death sparked an immediate and huge outburst of emotion, with thousands of heartbroken mourners gathered in front of the gates of Buckingham Palace and other royal buildings last night.
At one point, a rendition of “God Save The Queen” rang out among the mourners, followed by cheers of “Long Live The King.”
ABBA: The 95-minute digital show will be held in London’s former Olympic Park [L-R Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Bjorn Ulvaeus]
Venue: ABBA’s virtual concert will be held at the purpose-built venue in East London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Others laid flowers outside Windsor Castle – where the Queen had spent much of her time following the death of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, last April.
And as a sign of the Queen’s significant global influence and appeal, royal fans laid flowers outside British embassies, including in Washington, Berlin and Oslo.
Senior royals rushed to be at the Queen’s bedside on Thursday but failed to reach Balmoral in time for her death, it is believed.
Only her eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, who were already in Scotland at the time of the monarch’s sudden deterioration, were able to make it to the royal estate before her death, sources said.
Rest in Peace: It comes as Britain today mourns the death of its beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth II
Tragedy: Her death sparked an immediate and huge flood of emotions, with thousands of mourners gathering outside the gates of Buckingham Palace on Thursday night (pictured)
Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, his wife Sophie and Prince William all flew from Berkshire on a private jet to Aberdeen on Thursday as they raced to Balmoral to see her. But it is clear that they did not reach the estate before she died.
Prince Harry, who was due to attend a charity event in London with his wife Meghan on Thursday, also tried to reach Balmoral on time. But he arrived at 8pm, nearly an hour and a half after the public was notified of the Queen’s death.
The Queen’s son, Charles, the former Prince of Wales, is now King Charles III, while Prince William inherited the title from his father and is now, along with his wife, called the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. William is now also the ‘heir’ to the British throne.
Announcement: Buckingham Palace announced the sad news of the Queen’s death on Thursday