My grandparents lived in Ballater, an idyllic Scottish village about 15 minutes east of Balmoral Castle. The house was the last one on the right at the end of Golf Road. The backyard overlooked the 16th green of the Ballater golf course. From the front yard you could see Birkhall, the Queen Mother’s residence, nestled in the Grampian Hills to the southwest.
The royals used to walk around the area pretty much unguarded in the ’70s. They were “locals,” and everyone left them alone. It wasn’t unusual to see Prince Edward or Prince Andrew walking around. The royals were so common around there that nobody paid them any more mind than they would to the local grocer. If you’ve watched Downton Abbey and seen how the Crawleys were treated in the village, it was like that.
When I was 11, we had come back to Scotland for our biennial visit. One day, we were walking up Braemar Road toward Craigendarroch when we heard a vehicle roaring up behind us. The SOB who was driving it WAY TOO FAST honked at us as if to say, “Get the hell off the road,” then politely waved as she flew by in her Land Rover full of corgis.
The SOB was the Queen.
I’ll never forget it. My grandma waved back casually like, “Oh… there goes Liz. I must remember to ask for my muffin pans back next time I see her.”
That afternoon, my dad and grandpa played golf on the private Balmoral course. The greenskeeper, who was one of my grandpa’s good friends, had invited them. My grandparents were a pretty big deal in the local golf community. Everybody knew them. They played at Balmoral a few times a year.
After their round, we all met at the greenskeeper’s house for dinner. When we’d finished eating, his son invited me to watch a movie in the ballroom at Balmoral Castle. Apparently, these screenings weren’t uncommon. The audience were all family members of castle employees. Every job has its perks.
The movie was One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing, a family-friendly British comedy starring Peter Ustinov and Helen Hayes. The Queen and Prince Edward came down to watch with us. We all had to stand up as they came in, and we had to sing God Save the Queen, but after that it was all shits and giggles. Very informal.
While we were at the movie, the adults stayed behind and did whatever adults did for evening entertainment in the mid-’70s. A key party, probably.