Former soldier Sean Staines came to Veterans Aid for help when he found his life falling apart – he was not in good shape. Today he lives in the charity’s New Belvedere House hostel where he is rediscovering his love of art. A few days ago he was invited to lunch with the Queen at Westminster.
Humour is part of life at Veterans Aid and military banter is part of the fabric of life at the hostel.
“When I received the official invitation I really couldn’t believe it and so set out to hire the appropriate attire for the special occasion. I showed my hired French maid’s costume to our manager Patricia O’Connor and was told it may not be appropriate so I exchanged it for a morning suit.
“On the morning of the meal, on the 5th June 2012, it suddenly dawned on me how special this day was to be for me. Walking down the road towards Westminster was so surreal – no traffic, crowds either side of me shouting and taking photo’s – all thinking I must be royalty or someone famous!
“I felt overwhelmed. Being the quiet and shy type it made me nervous, but after signing hundreds of autographs and blowing kisses to the crowd, I was gently ushered by a police officer into the main hall to where the meal was to take place.
“I genuinely felt nervous, excited and in awe of what was happening and about to take place. I found my table and the people I was dining with; they were a mixture of doctors and engineers and very friendly, we also had Lady Farnham on our table, HM The Queen’s “lady in waiting”, and to our surprise the Queen was dining on the table next to us! She was just six feet away – it was amazing! What a great experience!
“When she arrived I was told not to be nervous. Us VA lot are quite normal and in all honesty the day was unbelievable – something that was historic and a once in a lifetime experience. I was buzzing then – and still buzzing days after.”
