Livery Household Division Dinner
20th June 2023Drapers Hall
At a dinner recognising and celebrating the relationship between the Household Division and the Livery Companies affiliated with them, I did not expect to learn so much about Drapers’ Hall. What an unexpected delight! Will and I were in attendance as Master and Consort and were pleased to be joined by Past Master Jerry Merton and Honorary Freeman Catherine Hampson. The Principal Guest was Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal KG KT GCVO.
Major General Christopher Ghika CBE, gave the toast to the Livery Companies. Major General Ghika is also the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel of the Irish Guards. He graciously thanked the Companies for their support of the Armed Forces, especially in a year where we celebrated the Queen’s Jubilee, mourned her death and then celebrated the Coronation. Major Niall Hall MVO, Adjutant of the Irish Guards, graciously arranged for the Pipe Makers to be part of this magical occasion. The military representatives wore their dress uniforms and looked incredible. As Major General Ghika commented, the British know how to mark a ceremonial occasion. The Coronation of course being the most spectacular Royal Event, with every Regiment contributing.
Will and I were both hosted in style and against all odds, Will discovered that someone seated two seats away, was a friend from Prep School, who is now an Irish Guard. We are in safe hands!
I sat next to the oracle of the hall and learned a great deal! Did you know that Drapers’ Hall used over 100,000 sheets of gold leaf in the ceiling around the paintings during their recent renovations? In fact the gold leaf was so valuable, it had to be stored in their vaults.
The painting of the Queen wearing a Drapers’ brooch holds pride of place in the wall closest to the window of the Livery Hall. The portrait was captured at Buckingham Palace. However, studious observers will notice a Drapers’ chandelier. One was removed from the Hall and taken to Buckingham Palace expressly for this painting. Sitting next to the Master Warden, Tom Harris, who is mere weeks away from becoming Master after nine years ‘on the escalator’ was fortuitous as he is the man responsible for the Hall and its magnificent restoration. Initially the second level was to look like the bottom or main part, complete with dark wood and paint. Tom hired a progressive architect who instead blended this level into the ceiling. The architect’s presentation to the Court was so compelling that the designs passed without questions. The result is breathtaking.
His extraordinary explanation of a work of love almost trumped my shaking hands with Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. Master Draper, Stuart Shilson, graciously introduced us. We had a very brief chat before she deftly made her way to a woman who had served in the military. A very special moment not to be forgotten.
The evening concluded with a stirrup cup in the garden. Liverymen and guests mingled with members of the Household Division resplendent in their uniforms and badges. A mixture of great conversations and a beautiful night delayed carriages until after midnight. A night to remember….
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