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Recalling those encounters of the royal kind

As the nation prepares to celebrate, we look at the Queen's Jewish connections

June 9, 2016 11:49
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth enthroned on a bejewelled howdah in Jaipur, India in 1961.

ByZaki Cooper, Zaki Cooper

4 min read

As the nation pays tribute to the Queen for her official 90th birthday this weekend, we may be tempted to wish her "till 120".

Moses lived to 120, a fact I recall being taught at primary school. But little did I know how this knowledge would be applied 25 years later. I was working at Buckingham Palace during the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, and one of the special events that year, held in the spectacular ballroom, was a gathering of the leaders of an exclusive group of historic organisations called "Privileged Bodies".

They had a special status which carried rights to convey a message of congratulations to the monarch in person on significant anniversaries.

The Board of Deputies, dating back to 1760, was among them and at the end of his address, the-then Board president, Vivian Wineman, wished the Queen "to 120".