A reflection from Yvonne Campbell, General Secretary of the Congregational Federation and Director of the Free Churches Group
On Thursday 9th March I travelled to London to see the King. It was such an honour to be asked to be part of a small group of twelve to represent the Free Churches which are recognised as a privileged body to the Monarch.
There are 27 privileged bodies including Church denominations, various universities, royal boroughs, and cities. In times gone by it was the only way the Monarch would hear their news and be assured of their loyalty. However, in 2023, when communication is much better, the purpose and formality remain.
We met at the Free Churches Group office in Tavistock Square. As well as me from the Congregational Federation there was a representative from the URC, Independent Methodist, CIC, Baptist Union, Salvation Army and our Moderator, Helen Cameron. We had a photo and prayed together, then travelled by minibus to the palace. The driver was just as excited as us as we drove through the gates. It turned out his Dad had met the Queen in his role as ambassador of Grenada.
The Palace was grand, plush carpets, Queen Victoria’s cypher over the doorways, beautiful staircases, and huge paintings on the wall. We collected our name badges and were given an order booklet which contained everyone’s names and the history of each of the groups.
As we walked into the ballroom, we were shown to our seats, some of us on the front row and others just behind on the second row. An orchestra played as we waited patiently for the King. When he arrived, we all stood, Beefeaters took their place first and the King was accompanied by Gurkhas.
The orchestra played the National Anthem and then we all sat.
One by one a representative from each of the privileged bodies stood in front of the King and gave a speech. They all declared their loyalty, offered sympathies for the late Queen, spoke a little of their organisation and either assured the King of prayers or wished him good health and happiness.
Each time the King stood, accepted the speech and said a few words. Helen spoke beautifully and the King thanked her for the generosity and grace of our address and for the assurance of our prayers.
At the end of all the speeches the King gave an address which included a note for us to tell those who work with us of his admiration and appreciation for all we do.
There was a reception afterwards when the King mingled and spoke to lots of people including a few from our group. We ate quail eggs and lemon macaroons while we mingled with others, I spoke to some of the military Knights, the King’s ushers, Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Canons from Westminster Abbey, who joked that if you stand still long enough at the moment you would be dusted or painted in preparation for the coronation, Cardinal Nichols and Sadiq Khan.
As one of the trustees, I had helped prepare the brief history and the speech that had to be made to the King. It was so wonderful to experience the event, be in the Palace and raise the profile of the Free Churches and all the wonderful work our churches do to serve their community and build the kingdom.