The history of the Queen's Tea is one born of the tradition of a celebration held in England, on the second Saturday in June.  It is now also celebrated in other countries that have ties to the United Kingdom. The basic color associated with this celebration is red because that is also the color of Queen Elizabeth's flag. You can see the prominence of the brilliant red color in the photo to the left below with the arrival of three of our guests. As they arrived, our guests entered to this registration area shown in the photo to the left. In the photo to the right are members at our top table, which include from left to right, HGA board member Carol Decker, our president Ross Davidson and Anne Davidson, HGA board member Kevin Howard, M.B.E. and Susan Howard, and finally, our organizer and hostess Rebecca Roberts. Carol Decker also participated in the organizing and hosting of this very successful event.

The origin of this observance was Queen Victoria's  (ruled from 1837 to 1901) idea.  The British have celebrated their sovereign's birthday for centuries. But, Queen Victoria wanted to make an "official" birthday celebration.   Although her birthday was really on May 24th, it was decided to celebrate it publicly in June.  Both Edward VII (1901-1910) who had a birthday in November and George V (1910-1936) who had a birthday in December and Elizabeth (1952 to present) who had a birthday in April, all agreed to continue the official birthday celebration as being held in June every year.  One of the reasons is that the weather in England was always better in June that in the actual birthday months of the sovereigns.  This just made sense!

Queen Elizabeth II has reigned over Britain and the colonies for a very long time and had her coronation on June 2, 1953 (commonly referred to as the Queen's Birthday). But it is usually observed as noted above, the 2nd Saturday in June, unless other obligations require it to be moved up or back a week. The official birthday celebration is closely identified with the Trooping of the Colours Ceremony. This takes place on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, an area of London where many government offices are located. It's also where Whitehall Palace, the official residence of the royal family back in the 16th and 17th centuries, once was.The Queen is escorted from her home at Buckingham Palace by her Household Cavalry to the parade grounds, where she sits on horseback and carries out an inspection of the Household Troops which are all assembled there.The flag of color of a particular regiment (a different one is chosen every year) is then "trooped" or carried through the ranks where each and every soldier can see it.  Then the troops either ride or march past the Queen.  Then the Queen returns to Buckingham Palace.  A royal salute of 41 guns in London's Green Park brings this event to its conclusion.

For our third annual celebration of Her Majesty's birthday, We enjoyed a first-class and delightful Tea in a "room with a view", at the top of the Hotel ZaZa Houston, overlooking the area which included Rice University, the Texas Medical Center, the Museum of Natural Science and the Miller Outdoor Theater, on a bright and sunny day. This view that we enjoyed is shown to the right. It was a most pleasant setting in a historic part of Houston in which we celebrated this most historic event.

Attendees were treated to lovely refreshments with an assortment of teas, finger sandwiches, fruits and pastries in a private suite, and the event was organized and hosted most capably by Rebecca Roberts. After welcoming those present, Rebecca invited us to partake in the nourishing and enjoyable refreshments, including a large variety of teas. Many attendees brought their tea pots and we had a tea pot competition to select the outstanding tea pot brought to the celebration. Several tea pots were noted as being exceptional and the winning pot(s) were lovely gold and ceramic vessels, and are shown in the photo at the top of the page and also here with the winner of the competition. Thanks to Scottish Development, we had goodie bags in the image of the Scottish flag – so appropriate for HGA.

Also included was a silent auction, and one of our guests, Anna Duterroil, brought lovely photos and newspaper articles about the coronations of the Queens over the years, plus an unbrella and flag. Anna also has created a video presentation using photos from a seven year old newspaper, turning it into a PhotoShow. For a real treat, you can click the following link, and when the site appears, if you want to see it full screen, scroll down to the bottom of the small screen and click on the empty box in the right bottom corner. It will reload to a FULL SCREEN. Click PHOTOSHOW to see the presentation complete with Pomp and Circumstance. Thank you so much Anna.

Some of our attendees were members of Houston Grampian, and in addition, we had guests from the Beatrix Potter Chapter of the Daughters of the British Empire. Shown in the first photo below, they are Linda Jesset, Sylvia Hoopes, Kay Kempken and Lesley Douthwaite. Also present was Marilyn Johnstone, a member of the Good Time Scottish Dancers. It has been our pleasure over the years to have guests also from other Scottish and British organizations and we were honoured at their presence with us. One of the highlights of this year's Tea was the announcement by our president, Ross Davidson, that our board member Kevin Howard has just received one of the Queen's Honours, being designated an MBE, or Member of the British Empire, for his excellence of service, and following the announcement, Kevin offered the Toast to Her Majesty on this occasion of the celebration of her birthday.

Below are photos of some of our attendees enjoying refreshments, talking up a storm and perusing the articles and photos of the various coronations.

       

       

 

 

2009 Celebration

 

Our second annual celebration of Her Majesty's birthday resulted in a glorious and very well-attended Tea in the Queen's honor. As successful as our first tea had been, we experienced a nice increase in attendance this year and a wonderful new venue. Shown to the left is HGA Board Member, Rebecca Roberts who planned and coordinated the Queen's Tea, and to the right is our Chairman, Mary Metz, making introductory remarks.

This year we held the event at Masraff's on Post Oak Lane, which is a Zagat rated, casually elegant upscale restaurant owned and operated by a Houston family of restaurateurs, Tony Masraff and his son Russell. It has become a local favorite with it's unique Euro/American cuisine and ambiance. It has American cuisine with a touch of Southern Europe, and provided wonderful hospitality to us for the event, opening early in our honor.

In addition to members of Houston Grampian, attendees included members of DBE, ESU, G&S and also Sister cities International. In fact, the president of the Tampico Sister City of Houston was with us and he is planning an event in Aberdeen soon, which we will feature on our website. He was very impressed with this event and looks forward to a relationship with HGA and the Tampico Sister Cities organization.

Shown in the photos to the left and right are attendees who were on hand for this gala celebration. Long time members Bill and Jo Geisler are in the photo to the right visiting with one of our newer members, Laura Russell.

This year for the first time we had a silent auction and our special thanks go to those who donated items for the auction. Thanks for Silent Auction prizes to Kevin Howard, of RBS, Susan Howard for BABC, Marianne Duffin, the British Isles Store, Scottish Development and to Mary Metz. The Silent Auction was a success, and special thanks have to go to Susan Howard for the BABC Gala tickets which sold at almost full price. The center photo below shows the silent auction items which were donated to us for the event.

 

   

 

Wonderful entertainment was provided by Alistair Donkin of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society and Alison Greene who stars as Mabel in their July, 2009 production of Pirates of Penzance. They were accompanied by Dr. William Glick of Gilbert & Sullivan. The photo to the left is our incredible entertainer, Alistair Donkin accepting the award for Best Director 2004, earned for "The Mikado". To the right is Alison Greene who blew us away entertaining us.

Once again, as last year, we were shown what our Chairman, Mary Metz, had accomplished, the letter she had written to Her Majesty on behalf of Houston/Grampian, to honor her on the occasion of her birthday, and then the letter she received back from the Queen's Private Secretary's office, acknowledging our thoughtfulness and returning our good wishes.

HGA Board Member Rebecca Roberts did a magnificent job in planning and coordinating this event, and it was successful by all measures. She is shown below in the photo to the left with Quin McWhirter, HGA Vice President and Marti McWhirter, plus Marco Bracamontes, President of the Tampico Sister Cities organization.

The change in venue was enjoyed and appreciated by all who attended. The food and tea were delightful and we will work with Masraff's to fine tune our menu next year on Jam, Black tea and scones. Many of the DBE ladies will be back – they loved it, preferred this venue and will be telling their friends. Special thanks to Louise Sprot, HGA Board Member, for her work with Masraff’s on our behalf.

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2008 Celebration

 

For the first time, the Houston Grampian Association held High Tea in honor of Her Majesty's birthday and it will be the first annual occurrence, as it will surely be held again each year. It was a most joyous celebration and was well attended both by members of HGA and by guests from other organizations. Held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston, it was properly and beautifully organized by Rebecca Roberts and she put it on the top shelf for all who attended.

Our guests were treated to spectacular entertainment by the renoun Alistair Donkin, with accompaniment by Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston. He talked to us about his role in Gilbert & Sullivan productions and sang arias from several of them and provided a delightful time for those present. He moved through the audience and spoke and sang directly to our guests which made for a very personable and delightful presentation.

As a performer he has appeared with the London Savoyards and the Magic of Gilbert & Sullivan. He has sung with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, the BBC Concert Orchestra (broadcast on BBC Radio 2) and the English Philharmonic Orchestra, appearing at all the major concert venues, including the Barbican Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and the new Birmingham Symphony Hall.

Alistair came to us at the request of our Chairman, Mary Metz, long an active member of Gilbert & Sullivan and noted that when Mary asks you to do something, you do it. To the left, Alistair is shown as he serenaded Mary during his presention. As guests began arriving, they were treated to a lovely room of celebration which included scrumptious treats including finger sandwiches, scones, sweets and, of course a variety of teas to enjoy.

Many of our lady guests wore hats, so typical of the attire at High Tea in England, and they all looked radiant and gave our party a real feel of the celebration of Her Majesty's birthday.

Early to arrive were the "Three Amigos", Rebecca Roberts, Moira Holden and Marianne Duffin who set about to put the decorations for the room in place and to give our venue the true feeling of being in Britain at High Tea and truly honoring Her Majesty at this time of annual celebration. They are shown on the left with smiles that set the mood for the day. Marti McWhirter and Marianne are shown to the right assembling the flag displays that were placed on each table.

Shown below, before they were heartily attacked by our guests, are the tables with door prizes and all of the goodies that awaited us to enjoy following the entertainment. In the center is a typical table with the display of flags to give each one just the right touch.

And our Chairman, Mary Metz, continues to be the gift that keeps on giving and surprised us following the entertainment, by showing us the letter she had written to Her Majesty on behalf of Houston/Grampian, to honor her on the occasion of her birthday, and then showing us the letter she received back from David Ryan, Director of the Queen's Private Secretary's office, acknowledging our thoughtfulness and returning our good wishes. The letters are shown below and were truly a pleasant surprise to all of us.

HOUSTON GRAMPIAN ASSOCIATION June 0, 2008   Her Majesty The Queen Buckingham Palace London SW1A 1AA United Kingdom   May it please your Majesty, The Houston Grampian Association present compliments to Your Majesty and send Loyal Greetings on the occasion of Your Birthday in honour of which the Association is holding an Official Tea on Saturday the Twenty First of June 2008. The Houston Grampian Association fosters links between Aberdeen Scotland and the City of Houston, Texas and is founded on the mutual cultural, educational and social interests of the two cities. We earnestly wish Your Majesty may continue to enjoy good health and happiness in the years to come.   Sincerely, Houston, Texas 77077 U.S.A.   Website ~ http://houstongrampian.com     13th June, 2008   Dear Ms. Metz,      I have been asked to thank you and the Members of the Houston Grampian Association for your kind letter containing loyal greetings to The Queen, sent on the occasion of your Official Tea to celebrate Her Majesty's Birthday which is being held on 21st June.      Her Majesty much appreciates your thoughtfulness in writing as you did and, in return, sends her warm, good wishes to all concerned for a most memorable and enjoyable day.   Yours sincerely, David Ryan Director, Private Secretary's Office   Ms. Mary Murray Metz, MBE

Following this surprise of the day, our attendees socialized and laughed and just had fun in honor of Her Majesty and in the moment of being together in such regal fashion. Pictured below are some of those present, including the Howards, some elegant ladies in their hats and some of our table guests. These include, among others, Sylvia Hoopes and her granddaughter, to whom Alistair directed many of his remarks and his most enjoyable arias.

   

Without a doubt, this delightful event shall become an annual affair and so this has been designated to be the first annual HGA Tea for Her Majesty's Birthday. We welcome those who came and look forward to even more joining us in the years to come.