Catherine Oxenberghas a fond memory of the first time she metQueen Elizabeth.
Through her mother, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, Oxenberg, 60, is related to the royal family via her grandmother, Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark, who wasPrince Philip’s first cousin. The actress and author is now sharing her memories of meeting with the Queen, whodiedin her Scottish home of Balmoral Castle at age 96 on Sept. 8.
“Although she’s a symbol of permanence, part of me can’t really wrap my head around that she’s gone,” Oxenberg tells PEOPLE.
As she recalls, “The first time I went to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace was with my mom. I can’t remember how old I was — ten, maybe. I was very nervous. And I remember my mom trying to teach me to curtsy, which I wasn’t very good at. And I said to my mom, ‘What do we talk to her about? She’s the Queen, I don’t know what to talk to her about.’ "
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“She said, ‘Just talk to her about dogs and horses.’ And so that’s what I did in my very young way. And then years later, I’m watching season one ofThe Crown, and there’s this scene, and she says to the person who’s with her, she says, ‘Why does everybody only talk to me about dogs and horses?’ And I died laughing, because it’s like, well, that’s what my mom told me to do.”
Years later, in 2018, she wrote a memoirCaptive: A Mother’s Crusade To Save Her Daughter From a Terrifying Cultabout her mission to get her daughter, India, out of Nxivm.
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Oxenberg says that life inside a royal family is always more complex behind the scenes.
“It’s intriguing,” she shares. “You’re a public servant. It looks glamorous from the outside, but having kind of witnessed it from the inside, you live in a fish bowl.”
Oxenberg believes the Queen’s life of dedicated service as the longest-reigning British monarch and her 70-year-long reign is a powerful example to future generations.
“What I love about the Queen is she never retired,” says Oxenberg, the mom of three daughters. “She was completely committed to her job. She sort of symbolized that. She was fully embodied in her queenship, unapologetic about her power, which I think is a wonderful symbol for every woman.”
“May we all ascend to our queenship. So that in itself, I think, is a beautiful kind of archetype. You couldn’t not admire her,” she continues.
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Oxenberg’s mother, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia – whose full name is Elizabeth Karageorgevich, and who is a second cousin ofKing Charles— also shares her remembrances with PEOPLE aboutQueen Elizabeth.
“The Queen always exuded an aura of regal calm, which was reassuring, as well as inspiring respect. Somehow she kept herself at a slight distance and seemed a bit remote. It felt good to admire the way she conducted herself for so many years without any desire or need to judge her,” she says.
“It seems hard to accept the passing of someone who seemed so permanent,” Karageorgevich continues. “Her existence was like a steady beacon in the turbulence of modern life.”
On Saturday, Buckingham Palace announced that the late monarch will behonored with a state funeralon Monday, September 19 at Westminster Abbey in Central London. It will be the first time a monarch’s funeral has been held at Westminster Abbey since the 18th century.
The Queen’s coffin is currently lying at rest in the Ballroom at Balmoral Castle, where family members and royal household staff have been paying their respects and quietly remembering the late Queen.
source: people.com
