Today's The Day - Friday 11th November 1983.
Today's the day that not only will the Queen be reunited with her love Joseph, who has been in Italy with his family for the last two weeks, but it's also the day that they, along with their best friend's Harry and Sabrina, go away for a belated birthday trip that Joseph had arranged for her. It'll also be her and Joseph's first trip away together that doesn't include any Royal business or commitments, something they have both been looking forward to since it was planned several weeks ago.
But first, she did have a meeting and some paperwork to complete before she could leave, and after having breakfast and getting showered and dressed for her morning, and after her new ladies maid, Lydia, had done her hair into a low chignon bun and her makeup for her, Clarisse stood in front of the full length mirror in her closet and slipped on the matching fitted blazer that went with the below the knee pencil skirt that she was wearing before smoothing her hands down the sleeves, and giving the bottom of her blazer a gentle tug to straighten it out.
"You look great this morning, your majesty," her ladies maid said as she watched the Queen turn from side to side, checking herself in the mirror before picking up the silk scarf she had chosen to wear with her outfit from the back of her dressing table chair and put it around the back of her neck.
"Thank you," Clarisse said with the biggest smile on her face as she looked at her maid in the mirror. She felt absolutely elated today, she was literally on cloud nine and there was nothing anyone could do to spoil it for her. "It's going to be a good day today, Lydia," she smiled, straightening out her scarf and tying a loose knot in the front.
"That's good, your majesty," Lydia smiled and looked down at the Queen's dressing table. "I will pack your makeup and hair accessories for you to take with you now."
"Oh yes please, Lydia, thank you," Clarisse nodded as she turned to her closet dresser and made her way over to it, remembering she still had to pack a few more bits.
"What time are you leaving, your majesty," Lydia asked.
"I'm not sure, I think Joseph's flight lands about eleven thirty, but he's going to wait there at the airport until Harry and Sabrina land at noon, I think, so by the time they get back here and we are on our way, I would say early afternoon," she said while rifling through her lingerie drawers and grabbed a few (extra) pieces to take before walking over to the suitcase that she'd had laid down on the floor by the closet door and bent over to tuck them inside. Scanning the contents, she stood back up straight and looked across her closet while putting her hands on her hips.
"Is there something wrong, your majesty?" Lydia asked as she looked back down at the makeup bag she was packing for her highness.
"Hmm?" Clarisse replied as she looked back at her maid, "oh, I'm not sure if I have packed the right attire for the trip, that's all," she said as she walked over to her racks of blouses, tops and jumpers, and began browsing through them, while trying to remember exactly what she had already packed. "The only trouble when going on a rare leisure trip is, I never know what to take with me, whereas when I'm going on an official trip I always know exactly what to take."
"As long as you have something for all types of weather, a raincoat and an umbrella, you should be fine, your majesty," Lydia smiled as she watched the Queen turn back to her. "That's how I pack whenever I go somewhere."
"Yes, you're right," Clarisse nodded while turning back to her clothing rack and pulled out a blouse and gave it a quick glance before tucking it under her arm and continuing to look through her tops.
"The main thing is, do you have the dress that you talked about before, your majesty?" Lydia asked.
"Yes, well not yet, but Sabrina will be bringing it with her," Clarisse said as she pulled a jumper from the rack and studied it a moment before looking up across the room. "Well I hope she brings it with her, or I won't have anything to wear for the dinner," she said and laughed a little while turning to her maid.
"Maybe you should take another dress, just in case your majesty?" Lydia suggested and the room fell silent as the Queen thought about it a moment.
"No, I have every faith that she won't forget it," Clarisse said and smiled at her maid before looking back at the jumper she had pulled out and tucked it under her arm with the blouse before moving along to her trousers and skirts.
"Of course, your majesty," Lydia smiled.
"Your majesty," Sasha said as she appeared in the closet doorway and watched as both the Queen and her maid turned to her. "The King and the new prime minister are in your office ready for your meeting."
"Oh gosh, is it that time already?" Clarisse exclaimed as she checked the time on her watch. "Can you inform them that I'll be right there, and arrange for tea?" She asked while quickly rifling through her skirts and pulling out a knee length one to go with either the jumper or the blouse that she picked out earlier, "I just need to finish packing."
"Of course, your majesty," Sasha smiled and bowed her head before turning and walking back across the bedroom as Clarisse walked back over to her suitcase and placed the items that she had selected from the rack earlier down on top of it.
"You go to your meeting, your majesty," Lydia said as the Queen looked up at her, "I'll finish packing for you and will have Andre bring your suitcase down so that it's downstairs ready for when you leave."
"Oh thank you, Lydia," Clarisse smiled. "It's just those few bits that I've put down on top of the case, and my makeup and hair accessories that need to be packed."
"Of course, your majesty," Lydia smiled and watched as the Queen walked out of her closet before looking down at the suitcase lying on the floor.
Walking into her office moments later, Clarisse stopped when she saw her husband and the new prime minister, a tall, towering man, much like her husband, having a heated discussion. "Gentlemen, gentlemen, please," she said and watched as they both turned to her, "this is my office, if you are going to have a disagreement of any sort then please take it outside, or perhaps into your office, darling," she said, some what lightheartedly, while looking up at her husband and slowly walked over to them.
"We aren't having a disagreement, we were just talking about the golf tournament and how our country sadly lost," Rupert said while taking one step closer to her, to kiss her cheek while putting his hand briefly on her side before taking a step back. "Good morning."
"Good morning," Clarisse nodded while clasping her hands together in front of her and smiled, "and it certainly looked like a disagreement to me."
"I can assure you, it was not," said the prime minister in his french accent as both the King and Queen looked at him, "of course we are gutted our fine country lost, but we would never have a disagreement in your office, Votre Majesté."
"Hmm," Clarisse teased as she turned her head slightly to the side and looked at him, "I'll believe you," she smiled.
"Ah, merci, merci," smiled the prime minister as he stepped closer to her while placing both his hands on the tops of the Queen's arms and kissed both her cheeks, "Bonjour, votre majesté!"
"Bonjour a toi aussi premier ministre," Clarisse smiled.
"Oh please feel free to call me Henri, your husband does," he smiled as he glanced to the King then back to the Queen.
"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," Clarisse said and gestured to her desk, "shall we get on with the meeting?"
"Bien sûr," nodded the prime minister as he glanced at the King once again, then looked back at the Queen before averting his gaze lower a moment as he watched her walk around to stand behind her desk. "You know, your majesty," he said as he looked back up, "it really is a pleasure to meet with you again."
"Likewise," Clarisse laughed and took a seat behind her desk before gesturing to the two seats in front of her desk, "please take a seat," she smiled and watched as they both moved to sit down opposite her.
"You have the best laugh, your majesty, and your smile is really contagious too," Henri smiled as the King turned his head to look at him in surprise.
"Thank you," Clarisse said sincerely and nodded as she averted her gaze to Rupert, watching him turn his head back to look at her, before she turned her attention to the papers regarding the meeting sitting on her desk.
Reaching his hand out, the prime minister patted the King's arm that was resting on the armrest of his chair, before pointing towards the Queen, "you must be doing something right for her to have a smile like that," Henri whispered, "you must tell me your secrets sometime on how you keep her happy, 'cause I'm always in the doghouse with my missus," he said as the Queen looked back up at them and raised her eyebrow.
"Oh I, uh," Rupert stumbled as her eyes narrowed, "it's not me making her happy."
"I'm sorry," Henri exclaimed as he leant back a little in surprise.
"What he means, prime minister… Henri," Clarisse said, quickly changing to his name instead, as she put her hands together and rested her arm's on the desk in front of her, "I am happy because I am going away with three of my closest friend's for the weekend later today, for a belated birthday getaway."
"Oh lovely, a ladies weekend," Henri nodded and smiled, "well that would put a smile on my face too, a trip with some of my closest friend's."
"Actually no, it's not all ladies going. Two of them are married to each other, and the other person is Joseph. My head of security, you have met him before," she said as both her husband and the prime minister raised their eyebrow. Her husband merely for the fact she had been so honest, and the prime minister out of curiosity.
"You're close friend's with your head of security?" Henri asked in disbelief before looking at the King sitting beside him and watched as he nodded with a slight shrug. "I don't believe it."
"It's true," Rupert said and watched as the prime minister looked back at the Queen.
"Yes it is, and you no what Henri, there is nothing wrong with that," Clarisse said quite frankly. "In fact we go way way back, we actually all went to university together in New York. Well, Harry, Sabrina and myself all went to university together, but Joseph was friend's with Harry, that's how we met him. We all became friend's back then and that's how it's been ever since."
"I see," Henri nodded and smiled, "well I think that's wonderful, that you have all remained friend's and I hope that you all have the best time this weekend."
"Thank you and I'm sure we will," Clarisse said and looked to her husband who was sat nodding slightly, "now let's start this meeting, shall we?"
"Oui, permet," Henri nodded.