by Scott Heffernan (bio)
So...I met the Queen of England.
I’m the handsome young fellow on the left, holding the large camera lens. In honor of the Royal Wedding I thought I would let you know. I served a mission in England. We heard the Queen was coming to the area (Worcester) and decided to go see if we could catch a glimpse. Little did we know she would walk right up to us and begin a meaningful conversation. It follows:
Her Majesty: Where are you from, then?
Me: America.
Her Majesty: Are you here studying or something?
Me: No, we’re Mormon missionaries.
Her Majesty: Oh, jolly good.
We also gave her a bouquet of flowers that contained a church flyer (the family proc). You can see it tucked in with the orange flowers. When she walked away reporters rushed up to us to get the story. Despite clearly telling them we were missionaries from the U.S., the caption in the newspaper the next day read, “Local photographers visit with the Queen.” Damn the liberal media. Another cool thing is that a copy of this photograph resides in the church’s Granite Mountain Records Vault up Little Cottonwood Canyon. Don’t I now seem like a super interesting person that you would like to get to know?
I think it’s safe to say Elizabeth II and I hit it off. I found her charming and attractive. Not Helen Mirren attractive, but still quite beautiful. She likely found me polite, yet familiar. I know missionaries are supposed to stay focused on the work. And I know finding your bride on your mission is discouraged. But I have to wonder, had we met under different circumstances, had I been born a few generations earlier, maybe, just maybe, I could have been her Kate Middleton. So although I don't plan on staying up late to watch the ceremonies tonight, I will always remember fondly my brief brush with Royalty.
