Pam Ayres is one of the country’s most beloved poets having gained public recognition following her 1975 appearance on Opportunity Knocks. She landed numerous radio and TV gigs as a result and was even invited to perform for Queen Elizabeth on several occasions.
One particularly memorable meeting with the late monarch came when Pam was asked to make a speech at Sandringham in 2004.
The mother-of-two was then able to meet the Queen in a “more cordial way” when she was invited to have tea.
Sharing an insight into their meeting, Pam described the Queen as “nice” and “funny”.
The comedian recalled to Express.co.uk: “I was talking about how much our teenage sons ate and she was saying that William and Harry were just the same and they came out and cleaned them out of all their food.
“It was a nice funny chat, friendly.
“But there was an aura, there was an aura that you wouldn’t find with anybody else. You knew that she was the Queen.”
Pam explains that she was particularly taken aback when the Queen poured the tea herself.
Describing the “special” moment, Pam reminisced: “For the Queen to pour the tea, that’s an unusual experience that I was privileged to have.
“She said, ‘Shall I pour?’ and off she went.”
It comes as Pam has written a new series of children’s books, the first of which is called I am Oliver the Otter.
The four titles represent Pam’s love of nature and her fear of our changing world.
The charming stories, illustrated by Nicola O’Byrne, are written in Pam’s signature style with an abundance of facts about the animals and their environmental challenges.
On what the books mean to her, Pam said: “Wildlife has mattered strongly to me since I was very small and I have always tried to help wild creatures.
“It seems to me that all hope for the future rests in our children. I hope that my words and these inspired and exquisite illustrations will help young children to love and want to protect our intricate, interlocking and beautiful wildlife.”