Last week’s sad news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth set me thinking back 21 years to the unforgettable day when I was lucky enough to actually meet Her Majesty. It was some time in November 2000 when the call came from the British Consul General in New York. I knew the gentleman quite well from various social events that Virgin Atlantic had either sponsored, or to which, as the airline’s EVP in the USA, I was invited.

The call began with the memorable words, “David, I have been instructed by Her Majesty the Queen to ask if you would be prepared to accept an OBE (‘Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire’) on the upcoming New Year’s Honors List?” After faking it for a few seconds that I had to think about it, I said something silly like, “Yes, please tell HRH that I can probably clear my calendar for that.” I was then given strict instructions that this had to remain under wraps until the list was published early in the new year. It was something to the effect that, “You may tell your spouse, but only if you’re confident she can keep a secret.” I told her anyway.

The ceremony was set for Buckingham Palace on May 1st and I was allowed three guests, which would be my mother, wife, and daughter. At the time I was friends with one of the senior limo drivers at the company that chauffeured Virgin’s Upper Class passengers on arrival and departure in the UK. When I told him (James was his name) of my pending ceremony, he immediately insisted on driving me to the palace, saying that, for the occasion, he would “borrow” a brand-new Bentley that belonged to one of his private clients.

So, let’s fast-forward to May 1st when a fully uniformed James pulled up in front of Blakes Hotel where I was staying with my family: True to his word, he was driving a magnificent Bentley. Feeling like royalty – I was appropriately decked out top hat and tails – we all climbed aboard, and I got to utter the pure Hollywood words of, “To the palace James.”

It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience to drive through the iconic front gates of Buckingham Palace and be ushered up a magnificent stairway to an equally ornate briefing room for the assembled honorees. There, a well-rehearsed, ostentatiously uniformed ‘equerry’ (personal assistant to the queen) drilled us in what was about to happen with a strict list of do and don’ts. For example, ‘Your Majesty’ was to be used only when first addressing the monarch. Thereafter it must be ‘ma’am’ – he went to great lengths to emphasize, “That’s ‘ma’am’ as in ‘jam’ NOT as in ‘calm’. Are we all clear on that?”

So, fully ‘etiquetted’ we all then proceeded to another grandiose room, where we sat in hushed expectation of the Queen’s arrival. Obviously having done this scores of times, Elizabeth (handbag over arm), entered right on schedule and, in alphabetical order, started to affix us all with the appropriate medals (those being either an MBE, OBE or CBE). When my name was called, I made my way forward and as instructed, came to attention several feet in front of her, respectfully bowed my head and waited for the royal nod to step forward.

In this brief period the same equerry who’d done the briefing, was whispering a quick, ‘who, what and why’ in the royal ear. In my case this would probably have been, “David Tait, OBE for services to British aviation in the United States.” At least that’s what the Consul general had told me six months earlier.

With a slightly surprised look on her face, HRH nodded to me to step forward where she greeted me with the slightly disdainful words, “Ooh! Are you an American?” Somewhat taken aback, I smiled and responded with, “No Your Majesty, but I have worked in America for some time. Currently with Sir Richard Branson (whom she’d knighted a year earlier) and before that with Sir Freddie Laker (whom I knew to be a friend of the Queen’s through their shared racehorse breeding interests).”

At the mention of Sir Freddie’s name, her face positively lit up and she asked, “Oh really? How is Sir Freddie?” I replied that he was very well and that we would in fact be seeing him for a celebratory dinner that very evening. I stopped short of adding “You’re more than welcome to join us” but as she finished pinning the medal on my lapel, she added, “Well please, DO send him my best regards.” She offered her hand – the signal she was done with me – I shook it (gently, as instructed), stepped backwards twice, turned around and returned to the real world.

That evening, in the restaurant at Blakes, a group of about 20 friends and family gathered to celebrate my big day. Sir Richard dropped in for a drink but didn’t stay, however I then enjoyed what must have been the biggest imaginable name-drop opportunity of several lifetimes. When the ever-ebullient Fred showed up, fashionably late, we hugged in greeting, and then I ever so casually intoned, “Oh yes Freddie. Before I forget, the queen sends her regards.”

It was quite a day. Now, did I ever tell you about the time when the Dalai Lama and I …?