Duchess Camilla recalls funny story during reception for Taxi Drivers’ Charity for Children

On Thursday, The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a charity event for the London Taxi Drivers’ Charity for Children at Buckingham Palace, where she recalled being asked by a cab driver what she thought about herself!

The Duchess arrived in the palace quadrangle in a low emissions Bentley taxi, before pausing to take a photograph with six taxis parked in the inner courtyard as well as some of the cab drivers who are part of the organisation.

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The London Taxi Drivers’ Charity for Children was founded in 1928, when Mick Cohen, a cab driver from Norwood Orphanage, recruited 12 drivers to organise an outing for the children and raise money for the home. Nowadays, the charity organises exciting outings to the seaside and events for people with special needs and disadvantaged children, including trips to the theatre and Christmas parties.

During the reception, Camila, patron of the organisation since 2010, expressed how proud she was to be patron of ‘this wonderful organisation’ and that she had seen the happiness they had given to so many children, saying: “So thank you very, very much”.

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Embed from Getty Images

The future Queen also shared a hilarious story that happened long before her marriage to Prince Charles, when a London black cab driver tried to initiate a dialogue with the Duchess during a ride, asking her what she thought about herself, without realising who the passenger actually was.

Talking to the drivers, she said: “I’m very grateful to have had a ride in a taxi here today. I haven’t been in a taxi for quite a long time but I used to spend many an hour chatting away to taxi drivers.”

“The wonderful thing about taxi drivers is that they tell you exactly what’s happening in the world. There’s nothing you can’t find out from one of them.”

“I remember one of them once said to me, when I was in the back of a cab, who I don’t think realised who I was – this was all before I was married – and asked me what I thought about myself.

“He was awfully charming and I gave him a huge tip.”

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2 comments

PMB22 Fri 15 February, 2019 - 7:21 pm

Not our future queen, she is not eligible morally!

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Victoria Howard Fri 15 February, 2019 - 11:05 pm

The role doesn’t require a moral test to take the position, just so you know.

V.

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