Steve Milton: ‘Don’t touch the Queen’: Ron Foxcroft fondly recalls audience with cheeky Elizabeth II

For three seconds - which felt more like three minutes - Ron Foxcroft sweated profusely under his regimental kilt, his mind anxiously replaying a six-voice chorus of, Don't touch the Queen, DON'T touch The Queen!"

And here was the outstretched arm of Queen Elizabeth II, extended toward him in welcome.

I didn't know what to do," recalls the owner of Hamilton's Fox 40 International. The night before, we had a two-hour meeting on the dos and don'ts. And even the next morning when we met with six ladies-in-waiting every one of them said, Don't touch the Queen.'

I was nervous and had to make a quick decision, so I reached out. And received a firm handshake. The Queen looked me right in the eye, smiled and said, It's OK to touch my hand.' She realized I was nervous and immediately put me at ease."

And so began a warm, wide-ranging, humour-filled, conversation at Buckingham Palace with the late monarch that lasted five times longer than its pre-arranged time slot.

The date was May 19, 2015. A six-person contingent representing Hamilton's Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada had a scheduled 10-minute audience with the Queen, who was the regiment's commander-in-chief from the time her father George VI appointed her in 1950 - when she was Princess Elizabeth - until her death last week.

Hamilton's Nathan Cirillo, a Corporal in the Argylls, had been murdered five months earlier while working sentry duty at the Canadian National War Memorial in Ottawa. Foxcroft, the regiment's Honorary Colonel, his wife Marie, Honorary Lieutenant Colonel Rick Kennedy, his wife Linda, and Commanding Officer Colonel Lawrence Hatfield and his wife Shari, had been granted an audience at Buckingham Palace so the Queen could formally express her condolences and appreciation to the Argylls, and show her concern for Cirillo's widow, Katherine, and their son, Marcus.

What surprised me was that we were invited right into her personal apartment, not a formal state room," Foxcroft said. First and foremost, and I need to stress this, we talked about Nathan Cirillo's family. She knew his son's name, and that he was four years old. She knew his wife's name. She was highly informed, highly intelligent and highly inquisitive about how the family was doing since the tragedy.

Then she said - and this hit me in my heart hard, but wonderfully - You know, the best-trained military reservists are Canadians.' She also said that Canada was her second home and that she loved Canadians, which also hit me emotionally."

The Queen and her Hamilton visitors then went on to discuss her newly-born grandchild, Charlotte, her deep adoration for her Corgis and her horses and how much she loved music, particularly Elton John, Tom Jones and The Beatles.

She was so dignified and so intelligent," Foxcroft recalls.

On behalf of the Argylls, Fox 40 had created a four-foot framed poppy, the Queen's favourite flower, made out red Fox 40 whistles and sent it to Buckingham Palace a couple of weeks before the audience. It was sitting beside her on an easel and noting that it was going to hang in the palace forever, The Queen asked Foxcroft to recount the story of the now-famous pealess whistle.

Then she asked if we'd like to see her garden, and we're already into the 30th minute of a 10-minute audience. Marie and I said that would be wonderful, and she opened the drapes to point out her garden and said she was giving a a little party out there tonight'. I asked how little and she said, smiling, 8,000 people.'

She mentioned that if it rained, she'd be going into the little tent off to the side and we asked, what about the 8,000 people getting rained on? She said, That's their problem' and laughed," Foxcroft said. I thought to myself, She's got a cheeky sense of humour.'"

As they looked out on the garden, Elizabeth II reminded the gathering that she had been a mechanic during the Second World War and pointed out her John Deere lawn tractor, which she drove herself to mow out a section of the lawn for her Corgis.

Colonel," she said to Foxcroft. Did you bring those Canadian geese over here to poop on my lawn?"

Foxcroft told her he had a solution and gave her a Fox 40 classic whistle, emblazoned with the Argylls' regimental logical. She put it in her mouth and said, This is better than a shotgun."

About 55 minutes after the audience started the Queen politely informed her guests she had to take her dogs out for a walk. As the delegation was leaving she asked Marie where they were staying and when the reply was the Goring Hotel she said, That's a lah-tee-dah place, kind of fancy, and I'll see you there tonight.'"

Sure enough, at 7 p.m., a green Bentley with only one chauffeur and one security guard, followed by 25 paparazzi pulled up to the Goring where Foxcroft was standing in the lobby with hotel manager David Morgan-Hewitt, who was built like a right tackle for the Tiger-Cats," Foxcroft said.

She was there for another ceremony of some kind, and walked up to the manager and said, Big Dave! I met a Canadian today and there he is!'"

And she and Foxcroft shook hands. Again.

I'll never forget it," Foxcroft says. She had a way to reach everybody. She was the most remarkable leader in the world."

Steve Milton is a Hamilton-based sports columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: smilton@thespec.com