UKZN professor meets the Queen
A UKZN law professor met the Queen at a Commonwealth Reception.
UKZN Professor David McQuoid-Mason tasted what it is like to move in royal circles recently when he was offered an opportunity of a lifetime to meet and shake the hand of HRH Queen Elizabeth.
Prof McQuoid-Mason of the School of Law met the Queen at a Reception for Heads of Commonwealth Organisations at St James Palace, London on 27 October, prior to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta. The function was held by the Queen to thank the Commonwealth organisations for supporting her and the Commonwealth.
McQuoid-Mason was invited to the reception in his capacity as President of the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) which represents more than 2 000 law schools around the Commonwealth. The Law School at UKZN hosted the CLEA Conference in 2013.
For the occasion, McQuoid-Mason wore what he calls his ‘Mandela jacket’ designed by Lindiwe Khuzwayo of Durban, which was in colourful contrast to the dark suits worn by the other male participants. He mentioned that he was wearing it in honour of President Nelson Mandela, whose son was McQuoid-Mason’s student. The Queen remarked that it was ‘very colourful’ – so much so that she stopped again to speak to McQuoid-Mason shortly before leaving the reception room. Prince Charles was also at the Queen’s side to welcome guests.
On a personal note McQuoid-Mason mentioned to Prince Charles that his grandfather, Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was Admiral of the Fleet and McQuoid-Mason’s Irish-Jamaican grandfather, who was a Captain in the Royal Navy, had played polo together in Malta.
In his ‘Thank you’ note to the Queen, McQuoid-Mason gave her a short description of CLEA's activities and mentioned that her father, King George VI, had saved his father's life during the Second World War when he was fighting the Nazis, by inviting him to Buckingham Palace to receive his Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for bravery at the time that McQuoid-Mason’s father’s Motor Gun Boat was blown up by a mine off Norway which killed the captain and most of the crew except two who managed to survive.
