A former MLA for Kamloops is among probably just a handful of people in British Columbia who can say he’s had extended face-time with both the late Queen Elizabeth II and the now-King, Charles III.

“If you didn’t know she was the Queen, you would have thought she was your next-door neighbor.”

Claude Richmond, then the Social Credit Minister-in-Charge of Expo 86, fondly recalls meeting with Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Phillip, on several occasions, including dinner on the Royal Britannia, which was anchored in Vancouver at the time.

“She was knowledgeable about almost everything. You could talk about almost any subject and we did talk about a lot of different subjects and Phillip was very nice too of course, and he had a great sense of humour, he just loved one-liners.”

During Expo, Claude Richmond also escorted Prince Charles and his then-wife, Princess Diana, to Kamloops for a visit, and describes the now-King Charles III as “very sharp.”

“I spent a half an hour each way on the airplane with him and he was the same, he could talk to you about anything and he is a very, very nice fellow,” he said.

“He has his own opinions about a lot of things, but he also is a down-to-earth guy when you sit and talk to him.”

As for the future of King Charles III, Claude Richmond says he will handle himself very well but will be “different” from his mother.