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Derby has had its fair share of royal visits over the years but former Mayor Jeffery Tillett, far left, will never forget one in particular – when the Queen Mother’s quick-thinking saved him from a very nasty accident involving his mayoral chain, as his partner Councillor Robin Wood, left, recounts.

Memories of the same event can vary wildly, as Bygones discovered after carrying an article about the Queen Mother visiting Derby in November 1977 to officially open the new Assembly Rooms.

Former Derbeian Geoff Alcock, now living in Arizona, USA, recalled Her Majesty walking from the Mayor’s Parlour to Derby Cathedral, lifting up a little boy in the crowd en route.

But Oakwood ward Councillor Robin Wood, who was at the ceremony, says Mr Alcock is perhaps thinking of when she visited Derby in 1971 to open the refurbished Guildhall.

He writes: “Her Majesty arrived in the evening, by car, in long evening gown, tiara and diamonds. She did not go to the cathedral and had supper, not lunch, with the Mayor. I was there and have the menu to prove it! The Mayor at that time was Joe Carthy.

“Jeffery Tillett, who was Mayor in 1977, is 80 in December and is now blind and immobile but still a season ticket holder for Assembly Rooms concerts.

Her Majesty in 1971 at the opening of the refurbished Guildhall. Jeffery Tillett is third from the left, next to Edith Wood

The Queen Mother at the opening of the Assembly Rooms in 1977

“He recalls many amusing stories of those royal visits. One is about how the Queen Mother saved his life when she came to open the Assembly Rooms.

“After the concert and before the supper, he and the Queen Mother found themselves alone in the Mayor's Parlour. He decided to slip gently out of his robes, under which he had his dinner jacket, ready for supper.

“Unfortunately, he forgot that the mayoral chain was taped to the robes and, as he slipped them over his head, he became tangled in the chain and began to hang himself. Her Majesty quickly summed up the situation and her royal fingers came to the rescue by undoing the tape bows and releasing Jeffery!

“The picture is of the Queen Mother at the Assembly Rooms ceremony. I seem to recall they served a rather good claret at the supper. The chef's name was Cowlishaw. The other picture is of the 1971 event. The Mayor was Joe Carty. Jeffery can be seen in the picture with other Derby mayors – Edith Wood, Tom Taylor and Eric Reid. Don't ask me what they were all laughing at!”

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County:  Derbyshire

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