Ah I was in sunny Eton Dorney today watching our ladies win gold. What an honour for me to be right there as they crossed the finish line, punching the air victoriously (me, not them) and screaming (again, me) with a full glass of champagne.
We took the shuttle bus from Windsor at 09.20am and followed the marked white pathways down to the turnstiles. There were literally hundreds of commuters filtering into the stands and by golly; the English weather was playing hooky as the sun filtered through fluffy white clouds. There was a considerable wait to go through security but it didn’t seem to matter.
I swung the hand of my date for the day – Jonny back and forth and admired how we looked together as a couple. Jonny was resplendent in his True Religion jeans and Ralph Lauren shirt after a shopping trip to Bond Street at the weekend. He looked every inch the preppy Eton boy with floppy hair and plummy accent. And he knows Prince Harry.
Jonny explained to me that his parents were still living in Datchet (a nearby village with huge houses!) yet he had moved into Kensington after graduation from Cambridge. Going to Eton hadn’t necessarily meant he would get into Oxbridge, but getting the best education made it possible to get in on merit. We discussed Polo, his horses, the clubbing scene in London – where we had met – and fine restaurants we had visited at home and abroad. When Jonny realised I travel, internationally his face lit up and he squeezed my hand and promised me a spin on his Dad’s yacht in Monaco soon.
Well, as you all know, we won the race and I spent a glorious rest-of-my-day with other preppy Eton types, in a rather stunning pub in Windsor. The fact we were later accompanied by toned, carved Australian athletes really made my day the best I’ve had in a long while!
