Prebendary recalls death of king and queen

There are not many people who can recall more than one monarch being on the throne, but one Sutton-on-Sea gentleman can do just that.
Adrian Benjamin (left) meets the then-Prince Charles in 2010.Adrian Benjamin (left) meets the then-Prince Charles in 2010.
Adrian Benjamin (left) meets the then-Prince Charles in 2010.

At the age of 80, Coun the Revd Prebendary Adrian Benjamin recalls the moment he and his fellow pupils were informed of the death of King George VI when he was in primary school at the age of ten in Sutton-on-Sea.

He said: “I was in Miss West’s class and I remember the wireless being on the shelf, and then our head teacher came in and said he had some news to tell us, and announced that the king had died.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"I remember he said we should put the wireless on and listen to the news and we did.”

His aunt then bought a TV so their whole family could watch the coronation, he remembered.

While they were still young and the King’s death didn’t impact on their lives much at the time, Adrian said that King George’s hard work and dedication was well remembered and thought of:

"As children it didn't really impact us that much but King George had seen us through the war and he never wanted to be king, but he carried on and carried us through the war and he did a brilliant job.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Adrian also said that the media has brought our late Queen constantly into our homes, as if she were a member of the family:

"She has always seemed to speak as if she considered us not as subjects, but as her relatives,” he said, “She has used the media with huge discretion, never exploiting her status but with a light touch and an openness with regard to her deep faith.”

Adrian also remembers the new prayer books that were handed out when Elizabeth became queen:

"We were all delighted because we had to wait until the new ones came and there was great excitement because we kept having to remember to say God Save the Queen instead of God save the King after King George had died,” he recalled, and still has his prayer book dedicated to King George VI, Queen Elizabeth [the Queen Mother] and their children.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Adrian also recalls meeting the new King Charles, as was Prince Charles, in his role as one of the Prebendaries of St. Paul's Cathedral:

He said: “Charles is such a warm and friendly man. We are both fans of [1950s radio comedy programme] The Goon Show with Peter Sellers, and we always had a good laugh about that.

"I think it will be a brilliant King, he will carry on in the Queen's footsteps – he's already stepped into the Queen shoes quite a few times to cover events for her and he's been doing this for so long now I think he’ll be a wonderful monarch.

"Although people are talking as if this is a moment of change, I believe it is a time of continuity, indeed a time full of opportunity when what our late Queen has represented will flourish and bring the world yet greater joy.”

Related topics: