Members of the travel industry have recalled interactions with Queen Elizabeth II, as the sector paid tribute to the monarch following her death at Balmoral last week, aged 96.
The Queen took centre stage in the industry on a number of occasions, including the naming of four Cunard ships and two P&O Cruises vessels, the launch of Eurostar and the opening of Heathrow’s Terminal 2, which was named The Queen’s Terminal in her honour.
Her state funeral will follow a period of national mourning on Monday.
David Dingle, chair, Carnival UK
David Dingle met the Queen several times between 1995 and 2015.
“I was CEO of P&O Cruises and Cunard, so I had the managing directors of the lines report into me. I always let them have the limelight, but at the naming of Britannia in 2015 my colleagues asked me to take the lead.
“We sat together at lunch and it was almost like having a conversation with my own mother, who was born two days before the Queen. The Queen talked about having friends who went on cruises. It was an everyday chat – it was very nice. She was so easy to talk to.
“She was gracious from start to finish at these events. She had a genuine interest in our fleet. Of course, the royal family’s association with the sea goes back at a very long time. Her father was a naval officer, the Duke of Edinburgh was a naval officer and that tradition continued with her children.
“Her Majesty named Britannia in March 2015 again it was a very special time. Britannia had been the name of her own yacht. She was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh. It was an incredible day. They were both relaxed and appeared to enjoy the occasion. That was the naming that stuck with me.”
Peter Shanks, UK & Ireland managing director, Silversea Cruises
Peter Shanks was Cunard president when the line’s Queen Elizabeth was named in 2010.
“I was lucky enough to meet her three times. In 2010, she was with us for a couple of hours on Queen Elizabeth. I gave her a tour and she took part in the naming ceremony shoreside. It was an honour for every single one of us to build such a magnificent ship over two years and to have that recognition in front of Her Majesty was brilliant.
“Seeing the pride on the officers’ faces as we walked her through the ship was something that I will never forget.
I remembed we had planned the naming down to the second with the palace and had asked whether the Queen would want to see a cabin – but they said no. On the day, we marched up the gangway and she turned to me and said ‘Mr Shanks, can we see a suite?’.
“In the suite, she felt the bed and went into the bathroom. I think she was comparing it to the Royal Yacht Britannia. The day was a massive team effort – I was just the fortunate person standing at the front. In my speech, I said ‘There is only person who was at all these Cunard namings [1947 Caronia/ 1967 QE2/ 2004 Queen Mary 2] – and that is Her Majesty’. She sat up and laughed.
“In 2004, I was one of the lead organisers of the Queen Mary 2 launch. At the time it was biggest, tallest, longest ship ever built. The Queen graced us with her presence and the minute she arrived she put everyone at ease.”
“My memories were how gracious she was and how she put everyone at ease. She loved the maritime industry.”
Paul Brown, captain, P&O Cruises
Paul Brown (pictured with Queen Elizabeth II) has worked at P&O Cruises for 32 years and was the captain of Britannia at its christening in 2015.
“I had the honour of meeting and greeting Her Majesty and Prince Philip and escorting them on board the ship and for the naming. They visited a suite and we gave them time to have a rest in there. Unusually they stayed for lunch onboard – it was a great day. There were around 150 guests and trumpeters announced her arrival and the Bishop of Southampton said grace.
“She was really engaging. Before the event, I was somewhat anxious about spending some hours in her company. She just made me feel at ease. As soon as the car door opened she had such a beaming smile. She really enjoyed the day and she was really keen to see Britannia. She was asking a lot of questions about the officers and the crew working on board and where they came from. She was also interested in where the ship was sailing.
“After seven years of working on Britannia I have stepped down and I will be on Arvia. It was great to bring a new ship [Britannia] into service. My proudest moment by far was the day I presented Britannia to Her Majesty. There are some fantastic photos of the two of us. There was a huge amount of planning to make it look effortless. I would like to extend my condolences to King Charles and to the family.”
Steve Dunlop, travel trade photographer
Steve Dunlop photographed Queen Elizabeth II a number of times, first while working in the early 1990s on behalf of London hotels such as Claridges and St James’s Court Hotel, and then at naming ceremonies for P&O Cruises (pictured) and Cunard.
“I’ve had the privilege of photographing our late Queen Elizabeth II on several occasions. It was the joy she brought to those waiting to be introduced that I remember most. That smile. Every time.”
He said the Queen would show “genuine interest” in the people she met, ranging from the “bigwigs” to staff in a café.
“There was always anticipation while they waited for her, they were excited,” he said.
“She never disappointed. She always had an amazing smile and a genuine interest in people.”
Sue Biggs, formerly Kuoni and Thomas Cook
Sue Biggs met the Queen on numerous occasions after leaving the travel industry to become director general of the Royal Horticultural Society.
“It was such an honour, a privilege and fun to meet her. She was amazing and so easy to talk to.”