A Royal Salute to Her Majesty – Queen Elizabeth II from the MAD Conductor

Are you an admirer of Queen Elizabeth II? What are your thoughts on traditional British pageantry, like Trooping the Colour? To me, Her Majesty is an extraordinary person. Anyone who understands what she has accomplished in her life cannot help but admire her. Some people do not seem to appreciate her contributions to the world when it comes to carrying out her royal duties daily: from attending formal events to shaking hands at endless receptions, not to mention her daily preoccupations with state matters. The British monarchy under her reign is a symbol of commitment and value unrivalled anywhere else in the world. The Queen has carried out her duties with exemplar consistency without complaint throughout the last seven decades; she is one of the longest-ruling sovereign monarchs in human history, just seconded to King Louis XIV. A legendary testament to the United Kingdom in the 20th and 21st centuries.

As a veteran of the Ritz London, a member of the Royal Parish Church St Martin-in-the-Fields, and my other charitable commitments. I was lucky enough to witness her presence in different capacities and angles, she has an innate ability to connect with anyone, and she is never aloof, condescending or sanctimonious. Instead, she is infinitely polite and considerate. Even though she lives in a beautiful palace, she has simple tastes and is unfussy in any situation. Since she ascended to the throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II has made the British Monarch a shining beacon of love, care and kindness.

In her high age at 96, her passion for fire about horses had never ceased. After the MAD Designer Stage left the old residence of Sir Isaac Newton for a more prominent design studio, we moved down the 35 Whitehall. We became neighbours of her Royal Horse Guard and the No10. (Prime Minister’s Office & Residence) for years. I led the MAD team and designed one of the most advanced loudspeakers in the world called the ‘ Royal Salute’ and co-designed a special edition with her majesty’s Goldsmith Simon Benney to commemorate the wedding of the future King Prince William and Princess Catherine. It was a revolutionary crossover between the most advanced material, acoustic and psychoacoustic realm; even until today, we exhibited the beautiful gem the Royal Salute in the St Martin in-the-fields and right outside the Buckingham Palace, which attracted the attention of the connoisseurs and art lovers. Some even suggested we create a gigantic version of the Royal Salute in Art form and erect it on the third column of Trafalgar square. However, my MAD partners considered that unrealistic. They reminded me that I must focus on the private commissioning piece for the British Classical Doyen Julian Lloyd Webber, which was presented to him after his 60th Anniversary Gala Concert with 9,000 aficionados at the Royal Festival Hall. It was a memorable and sensational evening with Julian and his A-list cast musicians, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber, Dame Cleo Laine, Eric Whitacre etc… The highlight of the celebration concert was the exceptional performance of the ‘ In Harmony’ (a music education charity for disadvantaged children founded by Julian) have an opportunity to co-performed on the Royal stage with the Philarmonic Orchestra, under the baton of the Royal Weddings conductor Christopher Warren-Green. My speech and the bizarre gesture from the former MP Rt Hon David Mellor were recorded in the Royal Wedding edition of the Private Eye Magazine; that’s MAD!