Tony Deyal | Roy Rogers and the Queen of England

On May 28, 2018, late last month, in fact, the BBC's long-running Antiques Road Show featured as part of its 40th season a Coronation Special that looked back at the 65-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II through objects brought in by those who worked for her and played a part on formal occasions.

It was set on the Royal Yacht Brittania that ruled the waves from 1954 to 1997. The extremely interesting programme featured engine room staff and cooks, a maid of honour at the coronation, and even the secretary general of the Commonwealth, Dominica-born Patricia Scotland, QC, who might be wishing for a yacht of her own to escape the continuing barrage of media criticism to which she has been subjected since her much-disputed election to the post. The Britannia was one of the Queen's favourite residences and she is on record as saying, "This is where I can truly relax."

One of the footmen told an interesting story he heard from the royal chauffeur. The Queen, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret were invited to a friend's house that was on a country lane. A constable on his bike decided to stop the cars from passing through. The chauffeur quietly explained to the constable who was inside the car and suggested that he let them pass. The constable was not convinced and replied cheekily, "If you think I'm going to believe that, then I'm Roy Rogers on Trigger."

 

Ride off on Trigger

 

The Queen quietly wound down her window, and, when he saw her, the young policeman was stunned. She then said kindly, "Young man, I think you better ride off on Trigger." However, the Queen then wrote to the chief constable commending the young policeman for his dedication, and he was subsequently promoted.

The show and the anecdote brought back for me many memories, including one of my wife's comments: "I really love antiques, and that is why I married one."

But, we both love antiques, and even though we cannot afford them, we look at both the American (PBS) and British (BBC) antiques roadshows. However, long before I knew the show existed, I had my own encounter with the Britannia. I had met the Brittanica long before, in the many libraries I frequented, so I did not mix up the encyclopedia with the boat. In fact, we, children of the Empire, grew up singing God Save The King and, when the Queen was crowned on June 2, 1953, I was an eight-year-old in Standard Three (or what was called 'Introductory'), and we all sang the new lyrics "God save our gracious Queen", and received small tokens of the event and a large treat.

My mother and her friends were great fans of Princess Margaret and followed her many exploits, daring for a Royal, including her relationship with group captain Peter Townsend and her subsequent marriage to Anthony Armstrong Jones, the photographer, who Sparrow referred to as the "cameraman" in his classic chorus, part of which went, "If I wasn't there and see/ I still think they fooling me/ I can't understand/ How a princess could love a cameraman."

This is why, steeped in all the lore and always curious, I wanted to take a look at the Brittania anchored in the Gulf of Paria during the Queen's visit to Trinidad and Tobago in early November 1985. I had a little boat, and we headed out one morning to where the royal yacht was anchored offshore. We approached it at speed, and that was part of our undoing.

The yacht was well guarded, and, perhaps fearing an attack of some sort, two fast vessels moved out to intercept us and maybe shoot across our bows or even sink us. I cut the engine, and we put our hands up, scared spitless. A loud, crisp command came over a public-address system commanding us to move away. Fortunately the engine started with one tumble and we hauled gas out of there so fast that even the dolphins could not keep up with us.

 

Roy Rogers

 

The other memory was about Roy Rogers and Trigger. We who grew up at that time would understand the young constable's quip since we, too, lived in the Wild West as depicted on screen by actors and characters like Roy Rogers and his wife, Dale Evans, Lash Larue, Gene Autry, the Lone Ranger and Tonto, Kit Carson, Allan 'Rocky' Lane, Clint Walker, Rory Calhoun and Larry 'Buster' Crabbe.

Trigger was perhaps the most famous of the horses. He belonged to Roy Rogers, whose wife, Dale Evans, rode Buttermilk. Gene Autry, another singer, rode Champion. Lash Larue's horse was Black Diamond, and the Lone Ranger rode Silver, while his buddy, Tonto, was known for his request to his horse to speed up, the unforgettable "Get um up, Scout."

Even though he was an English hero the Phantom, his horse Hero, and his dog Devil cannot be left out. For those who don't remember, Zorro's horse was Tornado. What about the Cisco Kid and his sidekick, Pancho? The Kid's horse was Diablo, and Pancho's horse was Loco, as some of you might think I am for remembering and forcing on you all the memories of the Wild West. Better you do that than Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp and Jesse James (whose thoroughbred mare was named Red Fox) come after me, guns blazing.

While I also remember that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police gave the Queen a black horse named Burmese that died in 1990, the Roadshow Coronation Special featured the Queen's two favourite horses, Tommy, which she rode (as Princess Elizabeth) during a Trooping the Colour parade in 1947, and Balmoral Curlew, a sculpture of which she received, ecstatically, as her 80th birthday gift. What the show did not say is that for an antique herself, the Queen still retains a sense of humour.

One day, wearing one of her headscarves, she chatted with some American tourists who had not recognised her. When asked if she lived in the area, she said she had a house nearby. Then they asked her if she had ever met the Queen. "No," she responded but then, pointing to her security guard, adding, "No, but he has."

- Tony Deyal, an antique himself, was last seen bemoaning his inability to buy one of the new British commemorative coins for 2018. "Can't you see I'm catching my royal?" he complained.