Catherine Clark, the daughter of former prime minister Joe Clark, is recalling one encounter with the Queen as a child that has stuck with her for years.
At a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Vancouver in 1987 while her father was secretary of state for external affairs, Catherine Clark – 10 at the time – says she had a "lovely" chat with the Queen, who inquired about her interests and even asked her why she wasn't in school that day.
"I told her that I had told my teachers I'd be meeting the Queen and that they thought it was a fairly good reason to miss classes," she says.
"And then we chatted a little bit more."
Clark says she was very focused on being pleasant, polite and engaging in that moment despite being merely a kid at a cocktail party.
After that conversation and a few minutes into the cocktail reception, Clark was ready to leave, like any kid in an adult setting would be, but protocol dictated that she had to stay in the room with everyone else until the Queen departed.
"So I sat there and waited and waited and waited. And then she swung by and said, 'What are you still doing here?'" Clark explains.
"And I said, 'Well, I can't leave the room until you leave, so I'm just waiting for you to leave.' And she said, 'Well, let's go then shall we?'"
The two trotted off together to the elevators, where they then parted ways.
Clark notes that children get accustomed to adults often dismissing them, but in the case of the Queen, she showed interest and actively listened, which Clark says she will always remember.
"I think as a child, you recognize individuals who treat you with respect and attention," she says.
"When she asked questions, she certainly paid attention and seemed to be interested in what I as a kid had to say. And she didn't ask questions that were superfluous. She asked specific questions and it felt like she was looking for real answers. So I found I was very comfortable with her, but that's probably because she made me."
This wasn't the first time Clark met the Queen, though.
It happened a few years before at another event. This time unintentionally.
Clark, who was even younger at the time and was supposed to stay in the car, saw an opportunity to get away when her driver began engaging in conversation with some of the other drivers that were there.
So she hopped out of the car and snuck into the arrivals area where the Queen was being greeted, finally finding her dad.
It turned out to be Clark's first encounter with the Queen.
The Queen, who died Thursday, made 22 official visits to Canada after ascending to the throne in 1952, meeting Canadians from across the country.
Her first visit as Queen was in 1957 and her final visit took place 12 years ago in 2010.
When reflecting on the Queen's legacy and her personal encounters with her, Clark says she was "the ultimate boss lady."
"She was dignified and she was gracious. And those are things that sometimes women can't always be when they're trying to break down barriers and build things, which many feminists have tried to do," she says.
Clark believes that even with the strict protocol that surrounded her and the mystique of royalty, she was able to maintain dignity and decorum through the sheer force of her personality.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept.9, 2022.
The Canadian Press
