One of the notoriously silent Queen’s Guard members has spoken out about ‘what an honour and a privilege’ it was to serve the former head of state. Councillor James Watson who gave almost 20 years of his life to the army has compared the ‘emotional’ loss of Queen Elizabeth II like ‘losing a family member’.
The 43-year-old explained that the sense of duty and the years protecting the Queen meant her death was an emotional day for him and many others who served in the Queen’s Guard. He signed up at 16 after being told he would be the ‘personal bodyguard to the Queen’, an experience which he described as ‘mesmerising’.
Part of the Irish Guard, the Independent Network councillor for Atherton also served in six operational tours as part of his dual military role in South Armagh, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan between 1996 and 2015.
“It was an emotional and upsetting day for me personally,” he said, speaking about the day of the Queen’s death on September 8. “We swore allegiance to the Queen rather than the royal family as a whole.
“The military has a really strong association with the monarch, particularly the Queen’s Guard. It is that sense of duty that gets me.
“It was like losing a family member or someone from your regiment. Every day was about the Queen and protection.
“To put on that scarlet tunic and bearskin hat, it was like putting on a superhero costume.”
The Queen would come to inspect her personal guard once or twice a year, and although James never spoke to her, he was struck by how ‘tiny’ she was. He has spoken to some of the other senior royals including Prince Harry, Princess Anne and the newly appointed Prince and Princess of Wales William and Kate.
When asked about having to stay silent, he told the Manchester Evening News that “you are not allowed to laugh, and people really do try to make you laugh, especially at St James’ Palace where you’re really close to the public”. He did not reveal whether anyone managed to break his silence.
The councillor said he has always tried to bring a little bit of magic of the Queens Guards to the local community, for those who may not have the finances to see the Queens/Kings Guards in London. He has even released a book - 'Life After Death - A Guardsman's Tale' - which reveals all about his experiences serving in the army.
His time with the army ended after a helicopter incident left him with a spinal injury. However, he would still encourage anyone interested to join up and serve in the monarch's personal guard like he did.
Admitting that it would be ‘alien’ to see the name change to the King’s Guard alongside many other differences there will be with King Charles III coming onto the throne, James is confident he will do a great job. He believes the King will modernise the monarchy and help highlight current issues impacting today’s society.
Complimenting the Queen on her ‘consistency, sense of duty and leadership’, James was so happy to know his ward had celebrated her Platinum Jubilee with such passion with ‘one of the biggest events in Greater Manchester’. He added that he and other army veterans laid wreaths in her honour at Atherton Cenotaph at the weekend.
The next step for him and his community will be to celebrate King Charles’ official coronation which he hopes will see the people of Atherton and further afield come out in droves. James wants this to galvanize the community together again like it did during the Covid lockdown.
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