A sense of grief fell across the country on Thursday when news of the Queen’s death was announced, not least among those who met her.
The sad declaration prompted many memories and people were keen to share their stories.
We spoke to Fifers who met her in very different circumstances about the the effect she had on them.
Among them were Methil campaigner John O’Brien, former Scottish Parliament presiding officer Tricia Marwick, who lives in Markinch, and Braemar Gathering drum major Dick Hamilton, from Wormit.
All were full of praise for the late monarch.
Here’s what they had to say.
John O’Brien: ‘Her face all lit up’
John O’Brien is now known as an SNP councillor on Fife Council.
But in 2003 he was still grieving the loss of his 16-year-old son Lee, who died the previous year from solvent misuse.
John threw his heart and soul into a successful campaign to change the law on buying solvents, and it became illegal to sell them to under 18s.
He was amazed to be invited to Buckingham Palace for an event to honour 400 pioneers of British life.
And he was even more stunned to discover the Queen knew all about him and the charity he formed.
“It was a big event and people like Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were there,” he said.
“I stood in line to meet her and when she reached me I started to tell her why I was there.
I thought she was absolutely beautiful.”
John O’Brien.
“She said she knew about it and then she said, ‘you do know the best way forward is to educate people about it’.”
The Queen told John that she would soon be travelling to Fife to attend Prince William’s graduation from St Andrews University.
“I always remember she was wearing a blue dress and she had a drink in her hand,” said John.
“She was very nice and very caring and she’d obviously done her homework.
“I thought she was absolutely beautiful.
“Her face all lit up and it was like there was an aura about her.”
Tricia Marwick: ‘We turned to each other and laughed’
As presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, meeting the Queen was part of the job for Tricia Marwick and it happened more than once.
However, she didn’t expect to find herself enjoying a giggle with the head of state outside the Holyrood building in 2011.
And two years later, Tricia ended up confiding more than she’d intended thanks to the Queen’s genuine warmth.
“Just after parliament’s opening ceremony in 2011, we were walking through the main hall talking away,” she said.
“She said ‘it’s Canada Day today’ and then when we stepped out people were cheering.
“We turned and there were two people with Canadian flags.
“I said ‘I didn’t arrange for them to be there you know’ and we just turned to each other and laughed.”
In 2013, Tricia was recovering from bowel cancer and an operation to remove a tumour, although she had told very few people.
She was very warm, very funny and very relaxed.”
Tricia Marwick.
“I was keeping it very quiet and when I met the Queen in 2013 it was practically the first time I’d been out the house since the operation,” she said.
“I was giving my apologies for not being at the garden party and out of the blue, without meaning to, I told her about the cancer.
“I don’t know why but I just felt the need to tell her and she was so lovely and said she was very sorry.
“Mostly though, we talked about her grandchildren and she was very warm, very funny and very relaxed.
“I never felt any nerves at all when I met her because she was such a nice lady.”
Dick Hamilton: ‘She was always smiling’
Former Tayside Police officer Dick Hamilton was the drum major of the massed bands at the Royal Braemar Gathering for 26 years.
The Wormit man saluted the Queen and other members of the Royal family during a march past many times over the years.
However, he only met her once – in 2006 when he was introduced to the Royal box to mark his 25th anniversary in charge.
At just over six feet seven in height, Richard towered over Her Majesty, but that didn’t deter their conversation.
“I’m pretty tall and she was pretty small,” said Dick.
“She was standing on a platform but I was still a fair bit taller than her.
“She knew all about me and she had obviously heard I was about to retire after 36 years in the police.
“I shook her hand and I shook the Duke of Edinburgh’s hand and I spoke to her for about five minutes.
She just speaks like a normal person.”
Dick Hamilton.
“When you’re in a situation like that, it’s difficult to remember exactly what was said.
“But she doesn’t speak like she does when she’s doing speeches. She just speaks like a normal person.
An unexpected meeting with the Duke of Edinburgh at a carriage-driving event near Wormit a few years later saw Dick fall into conversation with the Queen’s husband.
“He recognised me from Braemar and we chatted,” he said.
“At the next gathering, he started waving his hands when I was saluting and made me smile.”
Dick wrote to the Queen to tell her about that incident when Prince Philip died and received a lovely reply.
“She was always smiling and this is just such a sad day.”
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