by Ruth Kimber.

The Royal Family have always been great supporters of the rural community with a keen interest in farming. Over the years I have had the privilege of meeting the late Queen, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal and Prince Charles, now King Charles.
My first time seeing the Queen was when The Invincible ship returned to Southampton from the Falklands War. We were there to welcome home our friend Phil Orme, who was serving in the Royal Navy at the time.
Then, about 2006, as Somerset County NFU chairman, I was invited to a lunch in Weston-super-Mare, where the Queen was guest of honour. Many charitable organisations were in attendance – the Guides, Scouts, Red Cross and many more. When the Queen entered, her presence filled the room, a feeling I have never encountered before or since. I was sat only a few feet from her, and her beaming smile was memorable.
I was sat by one of her ladies in waiting, who told me the Queen had asked for a locally sourced lunch, and had sight and personally vetted the seating plan. The fact I was so close to her Majesty was in recognition of my post in farming.
Since then, I have seen her in Yeovil and Bruton, taking grandchildren to see her as she visited the Westcountry.
I met King Charles while on holiday in Guernsey, where a celebration was going on and he did a ‘walkabout’ and happened to talk to Paul and me. He asked what we did and took a great interest in us as dairy farmers – his knowledge was excellent and we talked for some minutes.

We had another meeting with him at a hedge-laying competition at Home Farm, Highgrove, where Tom, our son, Graham our son-in-law, and Tom’s brother-in-law Stephen, as a team, were taking part.
King Charles is a practising hedge layer, being the patron of the National Hedge Laying Society, and he made his way all along the hedge and spoke to all the entrants. Our team was near the end, and we felt sure he wouldn’t make it all the way along, but he did. After he had chatted with our family, he turned to Paul and I and we walked across the field together, talking of all things agriculture.
In 1986, Paul and I and our youngest daughter Frances, who was two at the time, went to the Bath & West dairy event. We knew Princess Anne was to be there, and just as we were leaving, I took a bunch of flowers that we bought in the Church Harvest charity auction the night before, and wrapped them in silver foil. As we walked around the show, the flowers and Frances were spotted, and we were asked to present them to the Princess. Again, the knowledge, interest and approachability of the Princess Anne was notable. Furthermore, she was still carrying Frances’s posy when she left – we saw her that evening on the news boarding her helicopter still clutching the flowers!
Years later we attended an evening talk at Seale Hayne, University of Plymouth, by the Princess Royal. Then a few years on again, I met her in Butchers Hall, London, at the launch of Ladies in Beef, held by the Worshipful Company of Butchers. Again, the Princess gave the address, demonstrating her deep knowledge and love of the agricultural and countryside world.

In our village, the parish council beautifully and professionally presented an area in one of the churches, a lovely floral display, lighted candles and the condolence book on a table with hand-embroidered linen cloth. Most fitting for the occasion.
The church prepared a lovely service on the Sunday after the Queen’s death. The church bells were tolled on Friday at noon in both our churches, 96 times – Paul and I did St Stephens and my sister Jean headed up a group at St Johns. This was repeated on Sunday afternoon with a ringing out of the bells at 4pm for an hour to acknowledge the ascension of King Charles. This time we enlisted Tom, Jen, Jess and children to help.
A memorable but sad time.
Kimbers Farm Shop, The Kitchen at Kimbers & Somerset Trading Barn, Linley Farm Charlton Musgrove BA9 8HD; www.kimbersfarmshop.co.uk; 01963 33177; info@kimbersfarmshop.co.uk; open Tuesday–Friday 8.30am-5pm; Saturday 9.30am-4pm.