the Queen and Philip at Mount Vernon

@Marlene A Eilers Koenig

I took this photo on May 16, 1991, when HM the Queen and HRH The Prince Philip. Duke of Edinburgh visited Mount Vernon,  George Washington's home.  I was a member of the British press for the Queen's visit, but I slipped away from the group to head straight to Washington's tomb, where the Queen was scheduled to lay a wreath. 

I was already at the front of the roped-off area for the press when the other reporters and photographers.  One of the British photographers asked me how I got here so fast.  I smiled and said, I know a short cut and explained that I lived literally up the street from Mount Vernon (8.5 miles to be exact and often rode my bike on the trail to Mount Vernon.

The royal visit ended with the Queen unveiling a plaque commemorating her visit to Mount Vernon's new wharf where she and Prince Philip boarded a barge, which took the royal couple back to Washington, D.C.   

I said goodbye to the other reporters and got into my car and drove home.   A few minutes ride.  At the time, I lived in an apartment complex on the Potomac River so I had a great view on our back lawn to watch and wave as the barge headed up the river toward Georgetown.   

 

@Marlene A Eilers Koenig  - taken in July 2020