Kiss Me Hardy
March 27, 1981 – Photograph by George Phillips
A Memorable Moment
On March 27, 1981, schoolboy Nicholas Hardy met Lady Diana Spencer at Dean Close School in Cheltenham. He asked her, “May I kiss the hand of my future Queen?”
The visit took place only weeks before Diana married the Prince of Wales at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29.
Diana arrived at the school with the Prince of Wales for one of her first official public engagements. She looked surprised by the question. Smiling, she replied, “I don’t know about that.” Then she added, “You will never live this down.”
The exchange delighted everyone present. Photographer George Phillips captured the moment.
Diana’s Early Public Life
This school visit marked one of Diana’s first royal duties. A few days earlier, she had attended a charity ball at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London. There, she met Princess Grace of Monaco.
In the years that followed, many people compared the two women. Both attracted global attention. Both lived highly public lives under intense media interest.
The Photographer
George Phillips (1934–2018) took the famous photograph. He worked for The Sun, The People, and later the Daily Mirror. He spent almost fifty years reporting across the West Country.
Phillips began gaining recognition in 1952. At the time, he worked for Planet News. One day, he heard a radio report about a major train crash at Harrow and Wealdstone station. He went straight to the scene.
The Rail Disaster
An overnight express train from Perth crashed into a stationary commuter train from Tring. The wreckage blocked the line. Soon after, another express train from Euston to Manchester struck the debris.
The crash killed 112 people and injured 340 others. It remains one of Britain’s worst rail disasters.
Phillips followed advice from his father, Cecil Phillips, a London correspondent for The New York Times. His father told him, “Don’t follow the crowds. Find the crux of the crash.”
Phillips did exactly that. While others photographed the general damage, he searched for a single powerful image. He had only one glass plate left. Despite the risk, he took the shot.
He photographed the Reverend John Richards standing on top of twisted wreckage. The image won the Encyclopaedia Britannica News Picture of the Year award.
A Career of Major Stories
Throughout his career, Phillips covered major national events. These included the Jeremy Thorpe trial, the Hungerford massacre, and the trial of Fred and Rose West.
The Daily Mirror later wrote in his obituary that “big stories were George’s meat and drink.”
What Happened to Nicholas Hardy?
And what about the schoolboy who made the bold request?
Nicholas Hardy did, in fact, live it down. He later became a music scholar, an actor, and a violinist.