Blog Archives

Irangani’s honour and privilege to meet with late H.E. Elizabeth 11 – By Dr Harold Gunatillake Transcript: Just five months after her coronation, Queen Elizabeth II engaged in a royal visit to Ceylon. This was the first visit to Ceylon by a reigning monarch. She was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh. The ten-day tour included a royal procession through Colombo, where she opened the first session of the second Parliament of Ceylon, and a train ride to Kandy, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Nuwara Eliya. Today, I am interviewing Irangani Gunatillake, Ceylon Tea Queen 1968, and her memorable experience of chatting with the Queen for over 20 minutes, just the two of them, at the Ceylon Tea Centre stall, Scottish wholesale Cooperative Society, in Glasgow, in 1968 Hello, Irangani. Tell us about your experience meeting the Queen and Prince Phillip in Glasgow in 1968. Thank you for ...