Wolverhampton D-Day veteran recalls Queen's state visit to China

Bill Redston was working on a yacht in China when he met Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

A D-Day veteran has recalled meeting the Queen and Prince Philip whilst onboard a yacht in China.

The Queen visited China in 1986, becoming the first British monarch to visit the country following the adoption of its Open Door Policy.

During her official state visit, the Queen was given access to the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'An and toured sites such as the Great Wall.

Bill Redston, 97, was working in China and said meeting her was "a privilege".

The Queen and Prince Philip toured the Great Wall as part of the official state visit

At the time of her visit, Mr Redston was working for an organisation which dealt with trade arrangements in China after World War Two.

The Open Door policy, initiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1978, saw greater trade between China and the West.

Mr Redston served in the Royal Navy during World War Two and was on board during a banquet hosted by the Queen on the Royal Yacht Britannia in Shanghai, to strengthen the new relationship between the two countries.

"We had heard the Queen was visiting China for the first time and wanted to organise a meeting between British and Chinese businessmen," said Mr Redston.

"I had personally been down to Portsmouth and checked that the yacht itself was feasible as a place for 80 people to meet," he explained, adding that 40 people from each country had been invited to attend.

"The banquet was a stand up dinner party," he said. "It was a meeting led by the Queen, to really get to know one another."

The Queen was joined First Lady of the People's Republic of China Lin Jiamei on a tour of Beijing's Forbidden City

Mr Redston also described speaking directly to Prince Philip and shaking his hand on the day.

"I was the only person who was invited from the Royal Navy," he said.

"I met Prince Philip, who kindly said 'Oh, you're one of us,' when he spotted my Naval Veterans tie."

The Queen also joined Li Xiannian for a ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People

Mr Redston served in the Royal Navy for several years, with stints in Japan, Myanmar and Singapore.

When the Queen died on Thursday, Mr Redston explained how he found out the news from a phone call from his son, whilst at his home in Wolverhampton.

"It was a privilege to have met the Queen in person," he said.

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