An Edinburgh man has described the energy and presence of Camilla, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom after meeting her at a Royal reception to celebrate British South Asian communities.
Newington’s Aayush Goyal, 25, attended the exclusive Royal reception in Edinburgh on Monday after only three days' notice.
He received the invite at 7pm on Friday and by Monday, he was standing in the Palace of Holyroodhouse in front of Queen Consort Camilla.
“When I first received the invite, I genuinely thought that someone was playing a prank. I was surprised and honoured to receive the invitation,” Aayush said.
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When I was there, I spoke to quite a few people all working in their fields for years
Over the weekend, he secured a kilt for the event. Otherwise, he didn’t have much time to think about what was happening.
“I’m not a big fan of planning because I tend to think too hard and get overwhelmed. I’m glad I didn’t have too much time to think about or plan for this reception on Monday. I just embraced it and it flew by,” he recalled.
Monday’s event was King Charles and the Queen Consort Camilla’s first visit to Edinburgh since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. The couple hosted hundreds of British South East Asians to celebrate their contribution to the UK at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Aayush was one of hundreds at the Palace and he described his two hours with Royalty as primarily a networking event.
Although he was not able to come face to face with King Charles, he did have the opportunity to speak briefly with Queen Consort Camilla.
“[The Queen Consort] had this energy about her. It felt like a very powerful and positive energy,” he said.
“When you’re in that position, I think you have to have a lot of charm about you. Especially because they have been in the public eye for so long. I didn’t know a lot about the Royal Family before I came to the UK, but the Royal Family has been drawing people to the UK for years because of that same energy. Every time I’ve been in London, there are hundreds of people waiting to see the Royal Family and their palaces.”
The reception was held in celebration of British South Asian communities. The guests were of British Indian, Pakistani, Bangladesh, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, Bhutanese and Maldivian heritage from across the UK, and their contributions to the NHS, arts, media, education, business and Armed Forces were all recognised.
“It was an absolute honour to be invited to this reception and to have the opportunity to be amongst so many talented and inspiring people. It almost felt unreal to me to be there,” Aayush said.
Aayush has been in Edinburgh for about seven years since he moved from India to attend university. In his fourth year of university, he and a friend fused their love of social cause with their love of business to create the Social Stories Club.
According to the Edinburgh Social Enterprise, SSC provides “Socially-conscious gift boxes where every product inside has a unique story of social change.”
The Social Stories Club website explained:
“We knew our calling in life was to introduce the world to these incredible businesses so we set about to create the most exciting gifts to give and receive: sustainable hampers filled with high-quality products each with a fascinating story of how delicious chocolates, beautifully smelling soaps, and warming teas are supporting reforestation projects, empowers individuals with disabilities and educates girls in tea growing regions. In each of our sustainable hampers, we include a story booklet so you can read about the positive social impact created.”
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