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Roy Romanow is among the few who can boast a more intimate meeting with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
During his time in the leadership of Saskatchewan — first as deputy premier to Allan Blakeney, and then as premier himself — Romanow met Queen Elizabeth II a couple of times.
One of the most important and memorable instances, according to Romanow, was when she attended the official opening of the addition to the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.
“It was … an opportunity for a more fulsome — to the extent that you can get a totally fulsome conversation — with Her Majesty,” said Romanow.
Above all, Romanow was impressed with the Queen’s knowledge and grasp of the issues affecting Saskatoon and Canada.
“She was animated. There was no pro-forma discussion. It was really one which seemed to have genuine interest through the questions that she asked about the assurance that Canada’s ongoing struggles from time to time about national unity and the federal system, that all of that could be managed (and) would be managed by the political people of the day,” said Romanow.
Romanow said the Queen likely had good briefings of such things ahead of time, but said it was still impressive that she was able to remember the briefing and discuss things knowledgeably.
“Her knowledge of the Commonwealth, her knowledge and her concern about the well-being of the Commonwealth, was very inspirational to me,” said Romanow.
The former premier described the Queen as a fully working monarch.
“I use the term fully working in the sense that the ceremonial functions are very important, people are very pleased to see her, we’re very pleased to see her, and the importance of the monarchy in our system, but it’s really enhanced when you have even a short conversation where, clearly, her knowledge of the country would be something that you might not expect,” he said.
Romanow thinks the greatest legacy of Queen Elizabeth II will be the symbolism of her, calling her an image of solidarity and leadership.
“Whether it’s riding her horses independently at an advanced age, the conduct of the business in the United Kingdom and amongst the Commonwealth,” explained Romanow.
Romanow said he can only hope that her heirs and successors will continue her model and approach to the work.
Former Premier Brad Wall has fond memories of meeting the Queen in 2011.
What an honour to meet the Queen in 2011.I had no idea what to expect.Certainly not a spirited and detailed discussion of Sk’s economy & current affairs.That she must have taken the time to get that up to date- to that level detail for such a meeting floored me then..amazes still https://t.co/xMOarjfHF6 pic.twitter.com/Xg246H0FHi
— Brad Wall (@BradWall306) September 8, 2022
“I couldn’t believe how up to date she was on Saskatchewan affairs. She asked about potash — prices, if you could believe it — and also current affairs,” Wall said.
He recalled the time he and his daughter were able to visit Buckingham Palace.
“We were in a van and we drove through the gates of Buckingham Palace in this van and the windows are blacked out and there’s these people there kind of rubber-necking to see who was in the van. I think I mentioned to Megan and all of us, I said, ‘Would they ever be disappointed if they knew who was in the van?’ ” Wall said.
“We were ushered into a room and there we were accompanied by one of Her Majesty’s ladies-in-waiting who was 75 or 76, which speaks to the longevity of the Queen’s reign. We heard a ruckus down the hall and as it grew louder, we could tell there were dogs barking and then the lady-in-waiting said, ‘Guess who’s here?’ and then the audience started.”
Wall pointed out the world went through many changes during the Queen’s reign — such as technological advances and wars — but she remained a constant beacon during it.
“To have someone like the Queen representing continuity, representing stability, representing sort of a strength of longevity and that’s gone now,” Wall said. “Change is going to continue to happen — as rapidly as ever — but we are without a major source of assurance and stability now that she has passed.”