They stood together on the tarmac, watching the Vickers Viscount descend from the clear African sky like a great silver bird. The plane made a smooth landing, taxied to a halt, and the steps were lowered. Then appeared Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, looking composed and fresh in a pale blue travelling suit, with her attendants behind her. She made her way unhurriedly towards them.

Ginie curtsied low, her heart pounding. There was a sound in her ears like a vast number of ball bearings rolling around, which made the Governor’s words of welcome seem a great distance away. Elizabeth greeted everyone by name and spent several minutes chatting about the flight. The views were magnificent, she told them; she had seen villages, farms, mines, and herds of wildlife. It had energised her and she wasn’t tired in the slightest. Then, turning to Ginie, she said, ‘Come and have a look at the inside of my plane. It’s rather jolly.’

Ginie opened and closed her mouth dumbly, like a fish.

‘Thank you, Ma’am,’ she managed, ‘I would love to.’

She followed Elizabeth up the steps of the plane, feeling her nerves turn to elation.

The Rhodes National Gallery opened in fine style. A crowd of around two thousand people turned out, including more than six hundred invited guests. They had come to see the Queen Mother, but the enthusiasm for the gallery showed Stephen that it was addressing a national need. As Elizabeth’s car purred to a halt, cheers broke out and a throng of local and international press photographers sprang into action. She stepped out, wearing a pale pink dress under a darker pink grosgrain coat with a matching hat, waving at her supporters and mouthing ‘Thank you’, her face wreathed in smiles.

Stephen and Frank, waiting for her by the gallery doors, watched as she paused to shake hands and talk. She made a point never to miss children or the elderly, and spent several minutes deep in conversation with a boy in a wheelchair and his exhausted-looking mother.

She had a perfect understanding of the theatrical element required of a royal, Stephen noticed, and she possessed a certain joie de vivre. The response of the people genuinely touched and delighted her and she, in turn, put everyone at ease with her friendliness and charm. A hush fell over the crowd when she reached the doors. Stephen stepped forward and presented her with the silver key to the gallery, his heart racing with excitement. She thanked him, placed it in the lock and turned it. There were cheers and clapping as the doors were opened, and she went inside with Frank and Stephen to look around the exhibition.