Double Paralympic champion Neil Fachie looks back fondly on the times he met the Queen.
The monarch, who died on Thursday, presented the cyclist with his MBE in 2013 and that was one of three occasions when Fachie was in her company.
Looking back the 38-year-old Aberdonian said: “The first time I met the Queen was not long after the 2012 Paralympics and I was standing with Craig MacLean.
“He got very nervous and just ended up babbling the whole time so I didn’t really get a word in, it was all Craig.
“Then when I received my MBE it was just the two of us and I was incredibly nervous going up because you’re told about all the things you should be doing.
“I was more nervous doing that than I was on the start line before a race.
“But she had the ability to put you at ease straightaway. We had a friendly chat, she congratulated me on my success in London and asked about my plans for the future.
“It was really nice, you kind of forget there’s anybody else in the room when you’re chatting to the Queen.
“It was a short interaction but she was so normal, you sort of panic beforehand, but she put me at ease.
‘A nice memory’
“The best interaction I had was after the Rio games when all the medallists were invited to the Palace.
“My wife Lora and I were with a group of people and were asked ‘do you want to speak to the Queen?’
“Of course the answer was yes and she came over. Being an animal lover she made a beeline for Lora’s guide dog Libby and was chatting to us.
“We had a bit of a chat about our sport and then she left the room.
“But five minutes later I got a tap on the shoulder from a guy who said he was the Queen’s porter and she’d him told there was a beautiful dog downstairs that was looking a bit bored and that he should go down with a treat for it.
“So Lora’s guide dog got a royal treat from the Queen, she didn’t need to do that, but that’s the person she was.
“Everyone knows she was an animal lover and she gave our dog a treat.
“That’s a nice memory for us from a special day.”
Fachie admits he has been fortunate to have a few encounters with the Queen, while earlier this year his wife Lora rode in the Platinum Jubilee pageant.
He added: “It’s a big loss for the country, personally I had a lot of respect for her.
“I’ve not met someone who commands a room like she did and could hold a conversation with anyone, that’s a great skill.
“We’re privileged that we’ve had those opportunities to meet the Queen.
“Everyone has their own memories of the Queen and I think ours are quite unique.”
