Mapleton siblings meet British royalty
By Jennifer Buzza
Special to The Star-Herald
How far would you travel to meet someone you admired and respected? One hundred miles? Five hundred miles? How about 2,000 miles?
Well, when Mapleton resident Chris Raymond heard that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were making plans to visit Prince Edward Island, he made plans to be there, too.
Photo courtesy of Chris Raymond
ROYAL HANDSHAKE — Dara Raymond, of Mapleton, takes a picture over the shoulder of her oldest brother, Chris, as he shakes hands with Prince William after waiting nearly seven hours outside Province House in Prince Edward Island. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in Prince Edward Island in July and the Raymond family traveled to Canada to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.
“Unlike some Americans who have followed the affairs of the royal newlyweds because of the excitement surrounding the royal wedding or the rags-to-riches-to-royalty story of Princess Catherine and her family,” said Raymond, “my interest in the royal family is deeper and rooted more in sincere appreciation of the royal family and the role they play in society.”
Raymond does, however, admit to waking up at 3 a.m. to watch the royal wedding back in April!
Since the final details of the couple’s trip were not released until a month or so prior to their visit, Raymond couldn’t finalize his trip until then either. When the time came, he flew from Columbia, Mo., where he is a PhD candidate in political science at the University of Missouri, to Presque Isle, meeting up with his parents, Dave and Sara Raymond and his younger sister, Dara.
The family traveled to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on Sunday, July 3, the same night the Duke and Duchess were scheduled to arrive. According to Raymond, shortly after his family arrived in Canada, they traveled to the airport to watch as the couple’s plane landed. They were able to catch a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess as their motorcade passed through the crowds that lined the airport driveway. He guessed they were approximately 7 feet away as they passed by and did get a “good look” at Princess Catherine. Unfortunately, the glare of the sun eliminated the chance of seeing Prince William.
The next morning the group got up at 3:30 a.m. to “secure a good position” to stand where the Duke and Duchess would be walking around after their stop outside Province House. Raymond said the royal couple was touring the historic site to learn more about the history of Canada. The waiting game began as they sat from 4 a.m. until the couple arrived around 10 a.m.
Photo courtesy of Chris Raymond
AFTER TRAVELING 2,000 MILES from Missouri, Mapleton resident Chris Raymond gets an unobstructed view of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. While waiting along the side of the street for over seven hours, Raymond and his younger sister, Dara, both had the rare opportunity to shake the hand of Prince William. The Prince was intrigued by Dara’s iPad as she filmed the “big moment” for her older brother. Both Raymond siblings were interviewed by a reporter from CNN following their brief chat with the Prince.
“Killing time standing along the fence was not easy. I sat for the first hour or so eating leftover Timbits from the night before. I chatted with some of the people around me, and that’s how I waited out the rest of the time,” recalled Raymond.
Upon their arrival, Raymond said, “The Prince gave a speech thanking the people of Prince Edward Island for their hospitality and began their walkabout.” He recalled that the couple split up, each taking a side of the courtyard to meet as many spectators as possible.
“Prince William took our side of the courtyard and after waiting nearly seven hours, I was fortunate enough to shake his hand and exchange short pleasantries,” said Raymond. “He passed to the next two women lined up along the fence when he looked behind them and saw Dara holding her iPad, filming him as he walked by. Intrigued by the new technology, he asked her, ‘Is that the new iPad craze everyone is talking about?’”
“I wasn’t even planning on shaking the Prince’s hand,” admitted Dara, “I was there to be a good sister and record Chris meeting him. I was holding up my iPad to record the big moment and after Chris met him, the Prince pointed to me and started talking about my iPad and how he thought it was funny to see people holding these up in front of their faces. After chatting back and forth for a brief few seconds about my beloved iPad, I said I was pleased to meet him and got to shake his hand.”
Once the Duke and Duchess left the courtyard, departing on a horse-drawn carriage, the excitement for the brother and sister from Mapleton, Maine didn’t end there. A reporter from CNN, whom they had been chatting with throughout their wait that morning, (“He arrived around 5:30 a.m., so we got to know one another quite well,” said Raymond.), approached them for a brief interview. “Before the Duke and Duchess arrived, he was particularly intrigued by my story, of an American traveling 2,000 miles to meet two members of Britain’s (and Canada’s) royal family on the day of American Independence. We saw him mouth the words “Columbia, Missouri” during his live reports!” said Raymond. “Though after my sister met Prince William, he (the reporter), became far more interested in her story.” The reporter from CNN interviewed those who had met Prince William and the story was taped and appeared on CNN and CNN online. According to her older brother, Dara was featured “very prominently” on the news clip.
Looking back on his experience, Chris said, “My desire to attend was to show my appreciation and affection for the royal family and the role they played, much like the others I talked to in the crowd indicated.”