Farmers share their cherished memories of meeting the Queen
The Queen at the Great Yorkshire Show in 2008 © PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo British farmers who were lucky enough to have met Queen Elizabeth during her 70 year-reign have been sharing their stories.
The Queen was a keen supporter of agricultural charities and show societies, and she had a passion for farming and rural issues.
The monarch owned several estates, including the Crown Estate, a collection of lands and holdings across the UK; Balmoral, the 20,234ha estate in Aberdeenshire where she spent her summer months; and the 8,094ha Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Many of the estates run working farms.
See also: Platinum Jubilee: Farmers Weekly celebrates Queen’s reign
The royal farms at Windsor and Windsor Great Park with their large, open green spaces were places of tranquillity for the Queen. She spent many afternoons observing her Jersey cows at the working farms, riding her horses or walking her dogs on the Windsor Estate.
Berkshire farmer Colin Rayner said he was hugely privileged to meet the Queen on numerous occasions, especially during his time spent working on the Royal Windsor Horse Show in the private grounds of Windsor Castle.
‘Great loss to the country’
“I am mortified about the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. It is a great loss to the country,” Mr Rayner told Farmers Weekly.
“I knew her privately. She knew my name – an ordinary man, from an ordinary family – which I believe was the greatest honour to have ever had. She was very good to me – always.”
Mr Rayner said the Queen loved her farming, noting a video of her a few years ago when she saw her Jersey cows at the Windsor Horse Show, which has gone viral.
“We were going to use my cows, but we decided to bring out the Queen’s Jerseys instead as part of the celebrations. That was the biggest smile she had all evening,” he recalled.
When his farm was flooded in 2014, Mr Rayner said he received a phone call from one of the Queen’s advisers asking if he needed help to secure the safety of his cattle, or additional feed.
During the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001, Mr Rayner said many local farmers lost animals, but the Queen kindly donated animals from her own herd to help them.
Looking to the future, Mr Rayner believes King Charles III will be great for British farming.
“King Charles is a great lover of farming. He has now taken over the Crown Estate, farming organically,” said Mr Rayner.
“He was talking about the environment 30 years before anyone else. I think Camilla will also be very strong as the Queen Consort.”
Kind neighbour
Following the death of his father, Nigel Berryman took over the tenancy at the Crown Estate-owned Southlea Farm in Datchet, near Windsor, in 1974.
Mr Berryman managed the farm until 2019, when he retired to Devon, although he still farms today.
He said: “I was surprised and upset to hear the Queen had passed away. I was born on the farm at Datchet, and she had been my next door neighbour all my life.
“The Queen was always really interested in the farm, particularly the Jersey cows. She was a lovely lady and was always friendly.
“There was great support for everyone who was on the estate to do with farming because she was a country lady.”
Mr Berryman remembers some very kind gestures from the Queen, which, at the time, you were meant to keep under your hat. “She didn’t like to get too much publicity for it,” he said.
Farming knowledge
Jim Paice, a former MP for South East Cambridgeshire, who also served as Defra farm minister from May 2010 to September 2012, met the Queen a number of times over the years.
Cambridgeshire farmer Sir Jim said he met the Queen recently and shared a private lunch with her in his role as chairman of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
“The Queen was an incredible lady,” said Sir Jim. “What always amazed me was her amount and breadth of knowledge about all things to do with conservation farming and pesticides.
“Her knowledge of cattle was incredible – not just about her own fold of Highland cattle at Balmoral, but about Highland cattle over many decades, all over the country.”
Sir Jim added: “The Queen was just a phenomenal person. She will live on in our minds for the rest of our lives for sure.”
Tell us your stories of meeting the Queen
The Queen was the UK’s longest-reigning monarch, and she met thousands of farmers during her lifetime. If you were lucky enough to meet her, share your photos and stories with Farmers Weekly by emailing philip.case@markallengroup.com.