This Thursday he died at the age of 96, the Queen isabel II, in his Scottish castle of Balmoral, after seven decades of reign in which he met different leaders from various nations, including the Colombian: Juan Manuel Santos, only president of Colombia who met with her.
Precisely, the former president told RCN Voicesthe emotion of his trip to the Buckingham Palace in 2016when he was guest of honour.
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“He was always very kind, like head of state he did not get into the political part, but in the part of the principles, now the new king charles iii He is a man who is very interested, above all, in the environmental part and in the biodiversity part,” explained Santos.
Similarly, the former president referred to an emotional gesture that Queen Elizabeth had with him, when he found out that Santos had played the bagpipes in his years of militancy, in the The national army.
“The day of the banquet, with all the pomp of the case, she had found out that I had been a bagpiper in the Colombian Navy. I was a piper because England had given us 12 bagpipes when I was a recruit and they forced me,” he said.
“So when we were going down, he told me: ‘I know you were a piper, listen.’ Suddenly the bagpipes begin, like 16 Scots with the same melodies that I used to play 40 years ago in the navy. It was a very nice detail that touched my heart and made me cry, ”she added.
Lastly, he referred to the new king Charles III, who will ascend to the throne in the coming days and assured that he came to the Chiribiquete park, located in the Colombian Amazon.
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“I took him to Chibriquete Park and he was fascinated, he told me; ‘I’ve been visiting places like this, sites of diversity all over the world, and I’ve never been to a place that has impacted me as much as this.’ then take him to Crystal Spout and there he almost went crazy, “he said.
Lastly, Santos highlighted the positive impact of that visit because Great Britain and Norway They have been among the countries that have helped preserve biodiversity with financial aid.
