Princess tells ex-soldier about her love of Caithness at palace event
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A former soldier from Wick met the Princess Royal – and heard all about her love of the far north – during a Christmas lunch at St James's Palace in London.
Kev Stewart was invited to the prestigious event after taking part in a six-day fundraising cycle challenge earlier this year in aid of The Not Forgotten, a charity that supports veterans and wounded serving personnel.
Princess Anne has been patron of the Not Forgotten Association since 2000.
Kev attended the reception with his partner Annemarie Simpson.
"The Princess Royal and myself had a long conversation about Caithness," Kev said. “She said that she loves the Flow Country and that it's a beautiful place.
"She remembered visiting Wick by train, staying at the Castle of Mey and going to Caithness lighthouses. Since she was five years old she has been obsessed with visiting lighthouses and she is patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board."
Guests were entertained by singer Russell Watson. "What an unbelievable voice,” Kev said.
Other acts included Scottish film and television actor James Cosmo, reciting Robert Burns, and a pair of Strictly dancers who performed a routine.
Kev (45) was among a group of 10 who cycled almost 400 miles across 14 counties in England in September, raising more than £10,000 for The Not Forgotten. Participants included veterans with physical injuries as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from their time in the forces.
“It was a great experience," Kev said. "I'll never forget it.”
The challenge was billed as the Tour de Not Forgotten on a route designed to form the shape of the charity’s logo, an elephant’s head. It started at the grave of the founder, Marta Cunningham, in West Ealing, London, and continued to Portsmouth, Poole, Taunton, Bristol and Hereford before finishing at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
The cyclists covered up to 95 miles in a day and had to contend with some stormy weather.
Kev served in Northern Ireland in the mid-1990s with The Highlanders, leaving the regular army with the rank of lance-corporal. He then joined the Territorial Army and had two tours in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2003.
His experiences in Afghanistan left him with PTSD.
In July, Kev raised more than £1200 for the Royal British Legion by taking part in the three-day Pedal to Ypres, cycling around battlefield sites and cemeteries in northern France and Belgium. He is planning another three-day Legion cycling challenge next summer, this time marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
“I'm doing the Normandy cycle next year – and whatever The Not Forgotten has got, I'm going to do," he vowed.
The Not Forgotten was founded in 1920, in the aftermath of World War I. The charity provides a programme of social activities, outings, respite and challenge breaks for veterans and wounded serving personnel aimed at improving physical and mental health, addressing isolation and loneliness and promoting a sense of community and balance.
Kev sees it as a brotherhood and sisterhood.
“They're a really good bunch," he said. "I love the camaraderie and it's so good for my mental health as well.”
Kev, a committee member and flag-bearer for Legion Scotland's Wick, Canisbay and Latheron branch, is studying for a Christian theology degree through the Highland Theological College in Dingwall.
He is considering a move into army chaplaincy once he has completed his theology course. “I feel drawn towards that,” he said.
Reflecting on his day out at St James's Palace, Kev admitted: “It was surreal. When we first walked in, going along these corridors full of paintings, we heard Christmas carols. I thought there must be a CD player or something.
“We turned the corner and there were Chelsea Pensioners lined all up the stairs singing. It was amazing."
He added: “During the summer Annemarie won a holiday online to Iceland and we flew out the next day. So we went down to London for the event at St James's Palace and it just so happened the fly-off date was the day after, so we went off to Iceland for five days visiting the volcanoes and glaciers.
"I am blessed by God for it to happen like that. It was like divine intervention, one day after the other!”
