Sitting on the steps of one of the colorful shacks that line the shore, Barbara and Tom contemplate the undulating sand plain of Holkham beach that stretches as far as the eye can see. So much so that the people at the other end are just little black dots lost in the immensity of the beach. The couple vividly remember the day one of those distant figures turned out to be the Queen of England.
Along the beach of Holkham, small huts of all colors are visible. Photo credits: Nina Droff/Europe 1
“It was pretty amazing”
“I saw her once on the beach, walking her corgis. And she just smiled at me and waved. She looked so simple. Of course, I recognized the queen, but she just looked like a normal person,” Barbara recalls. “It was very surprising because usually you only see his formal side. It was quite incredible”, adds his companion, Tom.
A little further along the sea, feet in the water up to their ankles, Liz and Anna take advantage of the last rays of the sun, with a little thought for Queen Elizabeth who appreciated this place as much as they did. “She was always very relaxed when she came to the Norflok side. It was her summer retreat. She loved walking, being with her dogs. It must have been wonderful for them to be able to escape and be herself,” believes Liz.
“She could free herself from others”
“There are miles of sand, lots of space for people. You don’t meet a lot of people. That way she could free herself from others,” Anna explains. An undeniable asset for the queen, located not far from her summer residence in Sandringham. And it’s even rumored that Elizabeth II had her own hidden entrance to the beach to avoid the crowds.
A perfect place therefore for the one who will have spent 70 years of her life at the head of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
TO DISCOVER ALSO:
>> Logbook, day 1 – After the death of Elizabeth II, first stage in Cardiff
>> Logbook, day 2 – On the day of Charles’s proclamation, stage in Llandovery
>> Logbook, day 3 – Death of Elizabeth II: the bruised city of Aberfan mourns its queen
>> Logbook, day 4 – Death of Elizabeth II: in Birmingham, a tribute beyond the royalists
>> Logbook, day 5 – Logbook, day 5 – On Holkham beach, the memory of a queen like the others