‘Faithful and dedicated:’ Former Sask. chief of protocol recalls time spent with Queen

There’s probably no one in Saskatchewan who knows more about the British monarchy — and who spent more time with the Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth II — than Michael Jackson.

Jackson, who’s the only person in the province to receive the prestigious Commander of the Royal Victorian Order from the Queen in 2005, spent time with her on at least half a dozen occasions.

Formerly Saskatchewan’s chief of protocol from 1980 to 2005, Jackson is currently the president of The Institute for the Study of Crown in Canada.

He was also part of — or organized — three of the Queen’s royal tours in Saskatchewan. Every four years, he’s also invited to Windsor Castle for a gathering of those who’ve been awarded the Order.

The first time he met the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh was in 1978.

“I was hired by the provincial government to co-ordinate the Royal Train because of my experience with railway passenger matters,” Jackson said.

The Royal Train ran from Regina to Fort Qu’Appelle, Melville and Yorkton, stopping in smaller towns along the way to meet residents.

“At the end of the tour when they meet all the staff and say goodbye, I was introduced to them and given a little gift,” Jackson said. “I got a pair of cufflinks from the Queen and a photograph of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, a signed photograph which I proudly display in my home.”

The Queen was very polite and straightforward, Jackson said, but he didn’t talk to the couple too much on that trip. He got to know the two more when he became chief of protocol and organized their trips in 1987 and 2005.

Jackson had to prepare months ahead of time for both visits. During Saskatchewan’s Centennial celebrations in 2005, the Queen and Duke visited not only Regina, but Lumsden, Saskatoon and other places in between.

One of Jackson’s proudest moments was seeing the smile on her face when she visited a wing of Government House in Regina.

“I think the Queen was clearly very pleased. There’s a big portrait of her at one end of the hallway … so she was quite intrigued by the whole project,” he said.

Jackson believed the Queen enjoyed coming to Saskatchewan; it wasn’t as crowded as other big cities and as formal. People, Jackson said, were more friendly towards her while remaining respectful. He recalled a time in 1987 when she visited the province after a heavy schedule in Vancouver.

“When she came here … we took the Royal Couple and their staff out to the Qu’Appelle Valley,” Jackson said. “They stayed in some very nice houses and cottages along the lakes there and just took the weekend off.

“That was very relaxing for them. You could tell that when the weekend was over, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh came out fresh, there’s a spring in their step and off they went on their visits.”

Going to Windsor Castle, which was the Queen’s favourite home, Jackson was able to reminisce with her about her time in Saskatchewan.

Jackson recalled one of those conversations, which happened the day in 2005 when a statue of her on her favourite horse Burmese was unveiled in front of the provincial legislature on a cold and rainy day.

“The Queen carried on with her transparent umbrella and unveiled the statue of herself on her horse. And she was really quite intrigued by that … I reminded her about that and she remembered it very well,” he said.