Kids and parents alike were engrossed during Nicholas Allan’s magical talk on The Queen’s Knickers, says Sian Kissock.
Author of over 30 children’s books, Nicholas talked about magical illusion and his charming new book, all about the Queen’s best kept secret – what underwear she wears on particular occasions.
Her everyday pair has a corgi motif; in Scotland, she wears a woolly tartan pair to protect her from the cold; when horse riding, her pair is adorned with a horseshoe pattern and has a bit of extra padding; and she also wears an ‘emergency’ pair during plane trips (they have a handy in-built parachute, just in case). You may have seen her wear the latter pair during the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics!
Some members of the audience started by tapping on an empty ‘dummy book’, magically filling it with drawings and colour. But these soon disappeared of course, because, as Nicholas told us: “The sad thing about magic is that it doesn’t last very long. The best way to make a book is with your hand and a pen!”
He went on to share a few facts about the Queen. Did you know she makes all of the money in the country? There was a money making masterclass to show us how it’s done, and a £5 note was mysteriously turned into a £10 note by folding and opening it the right way. The Queen also owns a magical key especially for access to Buckingham Palace.
It wasn’t just the kids who were entertained; the parents were constantly amused too, particularly when 32 little squares of torn up paper became a pair of paper knickers when the audience blew on them.
The book is a charming story about how a little girl is excited about the Queen visiting her school, and wonders what undies Her Majesty will be wearing. The talk was followed by a chance for the children to decorate their very own pair of knickers in case the Queen was to pop by, with every pair winning a prize as they were all just too good to choose a single winner.
Images by lieselbockl.co.uk; @LieselBockl
