Enriqueta Ramirez had an encounter that few in the Rio Grande Valley – or the world, for that matter – get to have.
She met the queen of England. The 77-year-old McAllen resident visited London in December to see her son Art, who works at the historic Windsor Castle, one of the royal residences. On the trip, she joined Art at the annual Christmas dance Queen Elizabeth II hosts for employees and their guests at Buckingham Palace. While attending would have been an experience itself, Enriqueta was pleasantly surprised when the Queen stopped to greet her and Art. Enriqueta said her son introduced her to the queen and told her she was visiting from Texas. “I couldn’t believe it,” Enriqueta recalled. “She shook my hand and said, ‘Thank you for coming.’ “I said, ‘Everything is so lovely.'”
Recalled Art, “My mother was on cloud nine really.”