THERE’S no doubt that Dickie Bird was Barnsley and cricket royalty but his relationship with actual royalty - Queen Elizabeth II - was something he was incredibly proud of.
The iconic Barnsley cricket umpire - whose death has seen tributes pour in from around the world - struck up a unique bond with Her Majesty after their first meeting at a test match at Trent Bridge in 1977.
He went on to meet her on 29 occasions and said that the two wrote to each other frequently.
Dickie once arrived outside the gates of Buckingham Palace at 8.45am for a 1pm lunch because he was worried about being late.
At her personal request, he was asked to umpire cricket matches that raised money for one of the Queen’s favourite charities which supported injured jockeys.
Upon hearing of her death in 2022, Dickie told the Chronicle that there were tears in his eyes and said that there will ‘never be anyone quite like her’.
He said the proudest day of his life was when he was invited for a private lunch with Her Majesty.
He previously said: “The proudest, happiest day of my life was when I was invited to Buckingham Palace for a private lunch with Her Majesty.
“I can remember the day I got the invite - I was sitting at home on a dreary, November day and my phone rang and this posh voice introduced themselves as being from the Queen’s private office.
“A voice on the other end of the line said ‘you have been commanded by the Queen to check your availability to have lunch with Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace’.
“I replied that even if I had had already eaten lunch that day, I would still walk down to Buckingham Palace for the honour of having lunch with her.
“I spent the day with the Queen and we talked about all kinds of things - especially horse racing and cricket.
“She loved her sport and was always very knowledgeable.
“She took me around Buckingham Palace on a personal tour and when I left at 5pm, I can honestly say I felt like the happiest, proudest man alive.
“It was such an honour.”
