Queen Elizabeth’s funeral: Is this a prank? Dylan Alcott’s surprise at palace call
Tennis champion Dylan Alcott initially thought his invitation to the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth was a joke.
Tennis champion Dylan Alcott, one of the “ordinary ” Australians, told a gathering of VIPs at Australia House that when Buckingham Palace called to invite him to the state funeral of the Queen, he thought it was a joke.
“I thought I was getting pranked, to be honest. They called up a private number. I was like, ‘Who is this, is this even real?” Alcott, the 2022 Australian of the Year, said.
“Obviously, it was very humbling to be invited, to be able to come here. Funerals are pretty sad. And they have a right to be sad.
“But they’re also a time to reflect on the work that people have done and the personal connection that you have with people, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I have a very, very, very small personal connection to Her Majesty.”
Alcott said he had spoken to the Queen during a Zoom call with her to celebrate her jubilee this year and revealed the Queen even laughed at really bad jokes. “She asked me why I retired from tennis and I said I got sick and tired of beating people from England at Wimbledon,’’ Alcott said.
He added that when the Zoom call was being prepared, he thought, “I’ll be ready. And then when she popped up, I was like, ‘Oh my God, it is the Queen’.
“And no matter what, you’re never ready for that moment.”
The gathering included Samantha Cohen, a former private secretary to the Queen, Australian Defence personnel serving with British forces, comedian Adam Hills, Royal Albert Hall chief executive Craig Hassell, Australian businessman Michael Hinzte and former high commissioners George Brandis and Alexander Downer.
“I know I speak on behalf of the 10 of us (‘ordinary’ Australians) that are here today – thank you for choosing us to represent the current culture and values in Australia,” he said. “We are really proud. We hope we do Australia proud. We appreciate it.”
The lunch menu included the Queen’s favourite chocolate biscuit cake pudding.
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