Postman who found it easy to get along with the Queen

POSTMAN Terry Buckett found it easy to rub shoulders with people from all backgrounds, including royalty.

He met the Queen twice in 1998 when she visited Henley to open the River & Rowing Museum and when he collected his MBE from her at Buckingham Palace.

On both occasions they greeted each other like old friends as they had Lord Camoys of Stonor as a mutual friend.

Terry’s widow, Pauline, says: “When the Queen visited Henley to open the museum she also came to the Henley Youth Centre, which Terry was heavily involved in.

“The youngsters who went there had all decorated it especially for the occasion.

“Terry gave a presentation on the work of the centre and they just chatted away as they both knew Lord Camoys, who was sort of her right-hand man.

“There was a lot of laughing as they swapped stories.”

The Queen was presented with a posy by nine-year-old Jody Gwilliams, Pauline’s step-granddaughter.

Pauline recalls: “It was just so weird that her name was picked out of a hat from 30-odd other children to present the posy when Terry was so involved at the centre.”

Terry, who died in 2009, aged 56, was made an MBE after the people on his postal round put his name forward for the honour.

When he went to Buckingham Palace to receive the honour he was introduced by Lord Camoys, to whom he would deliver the post.

Pauline recalls: “With Terry being a postman in Stonor he got to know Lord Camoys very well and they became good friends. We used to get invited to the estate on occasions such as Christmas.

“When Terry got his MBE Lord Camoys announced him and Terry told the Queen, ‘You came to see me in Henley and now I’ve come to visit you’.

“When I signed the book of remembrance for the Queen I wrote, ‘You came to Henley to see Terry; he came to see you and now you have gone to see him.” Another local who recalls an encounter with the Queen is Justin Sutherland, chairman of Upper Thames Rowing Club.

In 2008, his father Peter, who founded the club, received an MBE from the Queen at Windsor Castle in honour of his lifelong service to rowing.

Justin says: “We dusted down the family Bentley we kept for family occasions and it was a lovely day.

“Some of the stately rooms were just extraordinary. One room was full of swords all over the ceiling.

“You got this strange feeling of looking round someone’s house while at the same time being at a national palace as it is both public and private.

“All the clichés about the Queen were absolutely true — her smile did light up that room.

“When we spoke to Dad afterwards he said that they talked about the war and his service in Burma, which she asked him about, which shows that she must have read up about the people she was meeting.

“As a family we definitely can look back on the occasion with pride.”