Queen Elizabeth II: Ex-journalist's mum ordered haircut for royal visit

The Queen visited Bermuda in 1994

A former journalist has recalled his mother making him cut off his ponytail before he met the Queen because she "thought I looked scruffy with it".

Alan Wright, from Brinscall, Chorley, was working on the Royal Gazette newspaper in Bermuda when the Queen and Prince Philip visited in 1994.

He was invited to a reception in honour of the royal couple.

He duly had a haircut and bought a new suit, which he said was worth it, as meeting the Queen was "fantastic".

"I just remember a week before my mum phoning me up and she said: 'Have you still got that ponytail?' so I had to have my head shaved," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"Looking back, it looked silly anyway," he said.

His mother, Elsie, also told the then 32-year-old not to wear shorts to the reception at Government House in the island's capital city Hamilton.

Alan Wright said the Queen was "very nice" when he met her

"I had to buy a new suit, which in Bermuda is quite expensive," he said.

"It was $800, which was about £600.

"It was a very expensive time, but it was worth it, because I was part of this fantastic reception."

He said he was delighted to be introduced to the Queen and Prince Philip.

"She was very nice, she was interested in what we were doing and I said we'd prepared this special supplement for her visit," Mr Wright, who now works for the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, said.

"I think it was the first time she had visited Bermuda in about 10 years, so it was quite a special occasion."

Speaking about the Queen's death, Mr Wright said: "She always made people smile, which is a lovely legacy."

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