TROUTVILLE, Va. – The Queen left her mark overseas, but she certainly has America in mourning too – even here in Southwest Virginia.
Sharon Myers, a four-time Paralympian and an advocate for people with disabilities, has gotten the opportunity to meet many notable people in her travels across the world, including Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II.
And it was on Myers’ visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in London that she got to meet Queen Elizabeth II.
“We go in and I just kind of run into her looking around at the show. I introduce myself and she said, ‘well why are you here my dear?’ And I said, ‘well I’m here to develop a destination for people with disabilities,’” Myers recalled.
That wasn’t the only member of the Royal Family that she had the honor of meeting.
“Prince Charles. He was really charming. Down to earth, I couldn’t believe it,” Myers said.
As an athlete and a supporter of the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality, Myers shared a passion with the Royal family, which was evident in her meeting with the now King Charles III.
“They are very supportive of sports for people with disabilities,” Myers said. “So we chatted a while and he told me that he was on his way to a polo match. He said, ‘well, I see that you do everything else,’ and he laughed and said, ‘I bet you could do that too.’”
Myers’ mission to make the world a more accessible place has taken her many places and landed her in magazines, but the kindness and acceptance the Royal Family showed her, she still carries with her today.