A former Buckingham Palace butler has reflected on his favorite memories with Queen Elizabeth II as he mourns her “surreal” death.
Martin Higgins became a butler at Buckingham Palace when he was 21, his childhood dream job, starting just after Christmas when the palace was decorated for the festive ball.
“I remember walking from room to room, opening one door and walking into another. From the state dining room to the drawing room, the white room and all these rooms that I’ve never seen or seen before,” Higgins said.
Martin Higgins said being a butler at the palace had been a dream since he was a child. (9 News)
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“Seeing it open before me, it was like being in a dream.”
Higgins said she fell in love with Her Majesty’s corgis at first sight, as well as the grandeur of the palace.
‘I was absolutely petrified’
“The first dance you start is what we call the ‘Paul Jones’, where all the women hold hands in a circle and dance in one direction and the boys hold hands and dance in that direction,” explained.
Queen Elizabeth II poses on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on November 4, 2015. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
When the music stops, so do all the dancers. When this happened, Higgins said the Queen was in front of him.
“It was like, ‘Oh my God,'” she said.
“She looked at me. I looked at her. She smiled. I was absolutely petrified.”
Higgins said he danced with the Queen for about five minutes, but “it seemed like forever”.
The dance broke protocol as Higgins had to wrap his arm around the Queen, but the pair danced anyway.
Higgins served the Queen for almost four years. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Queen’s death is “numbing and surreal”.
Higgins said the Queen’s death came as a “shock” after spending nearly four years as a member of the royal household.
“One day he met the prime minister and then everything went well. The next time we knew he was at death’s door,” he said.
“I think for most of the country including myself it was the fact that there was no real warning and then it happened in a matter of hours.”
Higgins said it was “numbing and surreal” but it means the world has been forced to take a moment to reflect on the Queen and her leadership.