Receiving an invitation to stay at Balmoral or Sandringham might be thrilling, but it also comes with a fair amount of stress. Sticking to the strict dress code (and the idea of making small talk with the Royal Family) has overwhelmed even the most seasoned of world leaders, but for a 14-year-old Tanya Rose, the experience felt absolutely “terrifying.”
PR guru Rose, who went to boarding school with Prince Edward at Gordonstoun, recently appeared on Amanda Wakeley’s “Style DNA” podcast, and she shared memories of her 1979 visit to Sandringham House.
“I was 14, and Edward invited me to Sandringham just after Christmas, so it was just me who was not family,” Rose said. After she was sent a detailed dress code ahead of the stay, Rose’s father exclaimed, “Oh my God, why did I send you to this school?”
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Rose stayed with her school friend Prince Edward at Sandringham in 1979.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The PR pro explained that the list included “four outfits for breakfast, four outfits for tea, shooting things, Barbours, Wellington boots” and evening wear. “I did not have that wardrobe, so we had to go out and buy everything,” Rose admitted.
“That first night, it was terrifying,” Rose recalled, explaining that the “ladies go into another room” after dinner. With the group including Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne and the Queen Mother, Rose said she was “absolutely terrified,” but the late Queen stepped in to make her feel at ease.
“The Queen was so divine because she knew I was nervous,” Rose said. “So she started doing impressions of her groom and just being so sweet to me. She was lovely.”
Queen Elizabeth poses at Sandringham House in 1970.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Although Rose said she wasn’t used to dressing for such an occasion, one of her affordable accessories seemed to dupe the Queen Mother. Rose shared that her mother let her borrow a faux pearl necklace she’d bought at London department store Fenwick, describing it as her mom’s “pride and joy.”
“The first night I remember the Queen Mother saying to me, ‘Is that a family heirloom?’ And I said, ‘Well, my Mummy did give it to me,’ but I didn’t say it’s from Fenwicks,” Rose shared with a laugh.
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