Curator was too nervous to use her camera

ALMOST 50 years ago, a shy, nervous teenager waited patiently to be introduced to the Queen Mother.

Hoping to take her photograph, Christine Shearer, from Canisbay, couldn’t quite pluck up the courage as Her Majesty walked towards her.

Sixty-seven-year-old Christine still has the camera she didn’t take the picture with, but can now look back with pride on several meetings she enjoyed with the county’s most beloved royal.

Christine is the curator of the new exhibition at the Castle of Mey which opened to the public yesterday, celebrating the Queen Mother’s relationship with Caithness and marking the 10th anniversary of her death.

With her guidance, the exhibition is showcasing a number of images of the royal family’s time in the county, focusing in particular on the Queen Mother.

However, the one picture that isn’t on display is the one Christine wanted to take at the sheepdog trials at the Castle of Mey in 1963.

Her father, Reverend George Bell, of Canisbay Church, wanted to introduce his daughter to the Queen Mother who was attending the show.

Recalling the first time she met HM, Mrs Shearer told the Caithness Courier she was very excited.

"I had the camera around my neck and I was ready to take a picture of her," she said.

"But, as she was approaching me, the thought entered my head that there was no way I could just flash the camera in front of her face!

"I just thought it would be rude just to snap her as she was approaching me, especially as my father was wanting her to meet me.

"I never took a photograph of her that day – I wished I did – but having a conversation with her at the trials was a huge thrill."

It was not to be the last time the pair spoke as they met on several occasions at Canisbay Church where Christine was the organ player and still plays to this day.

She was also fortunate enough to be invited by the Queen Mother for afternoon tea when HM was 99 years old.

Christine said it is important Caithness remembers the contribution the royal made to the county.

"She was an exceptionally nice woman and made you feel special when she spoke to you," she said.

"Her whole body turned around and faced you as if you were the only person in the world.

"The legacy that she left by putting the castle into the name of the trust has encouraged tourists to come and it is also a place for local people to enjoy as well.

"She was a wonderful woman who meant a great deal to people in Caithness."