Earlier this year, with fundraising in full swing, we were telling everyone we could think of about our campaign. And Caitlin Limmer from the Park Lane team decided to aim high – by writing to Her Majesty the Queen. The result was a reply inviting a group of Park Lane staff, volunteers and riders to visit the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace. That visit finally happened in early November.

Caitlin (pictured far right) takes up the story…

A day none of us will ever forget

Thank you so much to The Royal Mews for an amazing day earlier this month. It’s something we will never forget. The excitement built as 19 of us travelled up together on the train, trying not to lose anyone at every change – much hilarity was had!

On arrival we were split into smaller groups and given detailed tours of The Royal Mews. We saw the horses, carriages and cars and talked to the people who worked with them every day. Every single person we met was warm and welcoming.

For me what I came away with strongly was a feeling of community that there is at The Royal Mews and on our tour we were genuinely welcomed into that community. The staff were so dedicated to their roles and you could tell they felt so proud to be working for Her Majesty the Queen.

“Could those carriages possibly be real?”

We met, stroked and learnt about many of the stunning horses. We saw the carriages which left us speechless. They were like something out of a Disney film – could they really be real? Yes they were, but they are like nothing you or I had ever seen before, or will ever see again. Hearing the history behind them and seeing the love and attention that is given to maintaining them was unbelievable.

The final area we saw were the Queen’s cars – wow! We loved meeting the drivers (including the Queen’s chauffeur!) and hearing about the love of their role. Not the sort of conversation you have during an average week.

I never imagined that writing to Her Majesty the Queen, just a heartfelt but genuine letter, would lead to this amazing experience. I know I speak for us all when I say thank you so much to The Royal Mews for this special day.

Park Lane Stables is all about community – it is about people caring from the heart outwards – every single person or animal matters, and that is how I felt about our trip to The Royal Mews. While we were there we were drawn in to their community, we mattered, we were cared for.

Thank you.

Like Caitlin’s story? Read Natalie’s account of the day in Teddington Nub:
https://teddington.nub.news/n/teddington39s-park-lane-stables-have-a-royal-day-to-remember