The Duke of Edinburgh visits Mount Vernon

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh samples Mount Vernon's bourbon made at the local distillery.

7  It is not every day that a member of the British Royal Family visits Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.  The estate is in Fairfax County, about 15-20 minutes from my home.  The press had to arrive by 9 a.m.   Not a large contingent: AP, Reuters, USA Today, Richmond Times Dispatch, CSPAN, and Royal Musings, among others.  No local TV stations attended.

The visit lasted about two hours.  The Duke arrived around 10:15 a.m. and Dr. Doug Bradburn, Mount Vernon's director, showed him around the estate.   The first stop was the Museum, which features a new exhibit about George Washington.  It is excellent.  I experienced it several months ago during an evening members' tour.  Yes, I am a Mount Vernon member.

It was a quiet day at Mount Vernon.  Word spread quickly that a British royal was visiting -- major crowds with phones ready at the house and the tomb!

I had one wish: I wanted Dr. Bradburn to stop in front of the portrait of George III.

Sad for me.  Bradburn did not bring the Duke of Edinburgh to that part of the exhibit.

Coming down the stairs

The Duke is shown parts of the new George Washington exhibit

The Duke meets Mount Vernon volunteers

The Duke expressed interest in the displays he saw -- we could not hear most of the conversation.  He was shown an Anglican Prayer book that belonged to Washington, with the prayers for the King and Queen (George III and Charlotte) crossed out.  After leaving the museum, the Duke's party, which included the British Ambassador Sir Christian Turner, got into one of the Mount Vernon shuttles to the house.  The media followed in three more shuttles.   Most of us declined to go into the house -- too cramped- and were taken to the Portico on the other side.  The Duke toured both floors of the house.

Now out on the portico, which overlooks the Potomac.  The woman in blue is  Anne "Dede" Neal Petri, Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, which owns and preserves the estate.

Perhaps Dr. Bradburn is telling the Duke that the MLVA bought the land across the Potomac River some years ago, so we see the view George Washington saw.

Back to the shuttles for the next stop: the Revolutionary Encampment. 

Back on the shuttle for the penultimate stop:  George Washington's Tomb.  Passing Oxen en route.

Dr. Bradburn told the Duke about the Tomb's history.  He did not mention that the Duke's late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, laid a wreath at the tomb in 1991.

After placing the wreath on the grave, the Duke stepped back and lowered his head in prayer.

Dr. Bradburn, the Duke of Edinburgh and the MLVA

Back to the shuttles -- to get on the little bus to the George Washington Presidential Library, which is down the street. The Duke's motorcade had arrived a few minutes before the media.

The map is a copy of an original British map (which the British used during the Revolution)  . The Library also owns the original, but it is rarely on display.  This map shows New York City and part of New Jersey.  Edward was fascinated with this map and mentioned the trade deal between the Dutch and the British.  The Dutch got two British-controlled islands: Run Island in Indonesia, known for nutmeg, and Suriname in South America.  The British took over Noo Yawk!

The Duke was taken into the vault to look at documents.  Only Mount Vernon's photographer was allowed in due to size.  (The media have been promised photos.)

We moved to the final stop, another room in the Library, set up for a whiskey tasting.  The Distillery is one of the largest in the USA.   

https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/distillery  

The Duke saw a whiskey display and learned about the different whiskeys and bourbons made down the road.  He joked about the spelling whiskey (Irish, US) and whisky (Scots)

Decisions, decisions

Yes, it is 5 o'clock somewhere

He chose the Bourbon, also made at the distillery.  Bourbon comes from Bourbon, KY.   It is made with corn.

Do I look debonair?

The Duke liked the bourbon.

After the preprandial drink,  the Duke of Edinburgh was the guest of honor at a luncheon in the Library's private dining room.  

His motorcade was outside the Library. I briefly chatted with the Range Rover driver.  I sighed and said, "Too big for me."  The driver laughed and said the pedals and seats can be adjusted.

"Move over," I teased, and responded, "Have a great day!"

It was a lovely day in the 80s.  The Duke spent two hours touring Mount Vernon.   It is not every day I get a royal visit in Fairfax County.

https://www.mountvernon.org/

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