So, I recently was in London for a week and if I had really tried I possibly could have met Colin Firth! Theoretically… I maybe could have caught a glimpse…
Just before I went to London I read that Prince Charles would be hosting a reception for Britain’s Oscar winners at St. James’s Palace in London and that Colin Firth would be there! I would love meet Colin Firth one day, if only for a few brief moments… I’ve met Richard Armitage, I’ve seen Pierce Brosnan up close and personal, and I sat just a few rows away from Michael Palin when he came for a talk to The Netherlands, but I have never once seen Colin Firth in real life. And Emma Thompson was also going to be at this reception. And Judi Dench. And Maggie Smith. And.. and… and…
I was going to be in London and I would actually know where Colin Firth would be on a certain day (May 4th) when I was also there! So, I was thinking of staking out St. James’s Palace to try and catch a glimpse of the man. However, I was in London with the family… and I had no idea when exactly on May 4th this reception would be… and I had no idea what entrance Colin Firth would use… I had no idea if I would even catch a glimpse should I even know these things, maybe his car with darkened windows would just whizz by and that would be it!
In the end, there just was no time! My guess was that the reception would be in the evening (a correct guess as it turned out later) and that evening my brother had, as a surprise, gotten us tickets to see the play The Railway Children! As much as I want to see Colin Firth, doing this with the family came first and what a wonderful time we had. So, I did not do my stake out at St. James’s Palace after all and I could not regret that either… But I did see a few pictures the next day:
Colin is behind Camilla with Mark Rylance and Michael Caine. Vanessa Redgrave beside Camilla and on the other side next to Prince Charles we have Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. Emma Thompson is cut off this picture, but she was somewhere more to the right.
Of course I really liked this picture below of Colin Firth looking very pleased shaking Prince Charles’s hand:
And to think that Colin won his Oscar for playing Prince Charles’s grandfather in The King’s Speech!
Apparently Emma Thompson was clowning around with Prince Charles (with Colin Firth in the background):
And I loved this shot of Judi Dench:
There is also a brief video summary of the event:
Then two days later my brother tells me that Emma Thompson doesn’t live too far away from where he lives! He’s never seen her around ‘in the wild’ but we figure out where her house exactly is. Basically we could just walk past her house if we wanted to! But we never do, that would be creepy… I also haven’t held on to the info about her house because what good would that do me anyhow?
I do leave London feeling like I could have almost met Colin Firth! And that I could have theoretically bumped into Emma Thompson at Waitrose supermarket! Just the idea that I could have seen them around makes me happy! Maybe when I come again next time I will? I’ll keep a lookout…
I have to laugh seeing Vanessa Redgrave hobnobbing with royalty…
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🙂 Maybe she has mellowed with age?
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It looks like it 🙂 No more revolutionary politics for her…
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BTW, what is this frippery? A Royal prince giving kisses left right and centre??? Where has the monarchy come to???
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LOL! And I love how Emma Thompson takes the liberty to serenade flippantly ‘you’re gorgeous’! I’m sure in olden days that would have been ‘disrespectful’ and she could have been beheaded or something. Now it garners indulgent smiles from a prince!
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I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard that *LOL*. Good on her. She is wonderfully irreverent and funny!
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oh i love the look of the 3 men just behind C&C, they look like they are having fun 🙂 And Dame Judi loooks so relaxed in that photo 🙂 Thompson is a hoot, i’d love to say hello in person one day 🙂
And i really LOL-ed at the photo of Judi Dench and Charles, she looks positively royal 🙂
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Yes! In the video you see that she also did this little curtsey. She looks absolutely delighted to be meeting Prince Charles. 🙂
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and vice verse prob also true, i think it was also him who gave her the ‘Dame’, i’m sure they’ve met before 🙂
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I love Emma Thompson! I saw her in so many films, she´s great! An actress with character and personality ❤
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And intelligence! Yep. 🙂
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Colin Firth is one of my favourite actor, he’s so great !
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He’s one of my faves too! 🙂
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What is your favourite movie with him ? 🙂
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So many! I fell in love with him in Pride & Prejudice, I love the first Bridget Jones (the second was OK, but I loved him in it), Love Actually, A Single Man, The King’s Speech, The Railway Man, Kingsman, he was great in Magic in the Moonlight, Nanny McPhee, and even Mamma Mia! Even the movies he had smaller roles in, I loved him in them, i.e. Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, Then She Found Me. I even quite like The Last Legion!
And you?
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I love King’s Speech, I think it’s my favourite movie with him. I like Kingsman, A single man too, and Bridget Jones ! I hesitate to watch Magic in the moonlight.. I have to see Pride and Prejudice too. So many movies to watch….
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Magic in the Moonlight is a bit iffy with the age difference between the leads but Colin is really good in it. P&P is a MUST! 😊
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yes, I know ! 😦 I have it on my computer, and I am watching Before I go to sleep now, with Colin ! ^^
Well, if I have the time, I will watch Magic in the Moonlight but I have so many movies to watch before…
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🙂
Another great one to put on your list is The Railway Man, that movie really moved me to tears.
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