You’ll never believe this! I went to Brussels for a meeting Tuesday afternoon, and last night I was on the plane back home. I try and fly Brussels Airlines coming home, as they land at Bromma Airport, a mere 10 min taxi ride from home.
So there I am, in seat 2A, behind a jew with an elaborately crocheted kippah (red, green and yellow, circular pattern with a star in the middle), wondering why they never said “boarding completed” when no one was boarding. Getting slightly annoyed over the delay.
Then, finally, two people got on, a man and a woman, in their 40’s. They sit down in 2D and E, but only briefly, then the woman moves to 1D and he to 2D. Ok, now I’m wondering what the heck they’re doing, because row 1 is the only Business Class row on the flight.
And that’s when I see it. Who’s seated in 1A. It’s………..the Queen! The holy Royal, mother of Victoria herself! Queen Silvia of Sweden!
Queen Silvia of Sweden
W o w! I mean, wow!!! The Queen! Three metres away from me! For two hours! This even beats that time in the 90’s when she and the King cut in line and rode on the skilift in front of me in Åre.
I wonder what she was doing in Brussels? It’s honestly never occurred to me that they’d fly with us mortals. I guess I’ve always just assumed they have a plane of their own. My bad. She can’t have been on any major official business, because she wasn’t all done up. Wearing a white blouse and a pink knitted sweater, and in her hair she had the kind of hair clip I use when I have a shower and don’t want to get my hair wet!
She was reading a book, don’t know which, but she kept a pen in hand, for underlining, so I guess it wasn’t fiction.
She was served her meal on real china, but that was probably just because she was in Business Class, couldn’t tell as the guy in front of me, the only other passenger in BC, got what looked like a pizza carton. Upon closer inspection (of the reflection in the window) I saw it was a Kosher meal – it said so in capitals on the top. I have no idea what it included. No pizza though!
Our beautiful Queen!
I guess it’s not so strange she flies to Bromma come to think of it – it’s about as far to their palace from there as it is to mine 🙂
A colleague of mine came up and chatted for a bit, standing in the aisle, and the guards/keepers or whatever they are were clearly suspicious and uncomfortable with it.
I wonder what it must be like, living her life. Can’t be fun. She looked lonely, if anything. Especially when getting off the plane. It was like a scene out of a movie: it was a brisk -8 C, there was a light snowfall, and a sleek black car was pulled up next to the plane, and there she was – the first one off the plane, walking down the rackety stairs, into the beams from the waiting car, just a lonely silhouette walking into the light.
And that was that – my “meeting” with the Queen!
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The Wanderings of a Swede 