What happened when the 5ft 2ins Queen met Shrewsbury's 6ft 9ins MP
A Shropshire MP who towers above most people has spoken of his fond memories of being ribbed "mercilessly" by the 5ft 2ins Queen.
Shrewsbury and Atcham Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski Conservative was one of hundreds of parliamentarians who spoke of their memories of Her Majesty in long tribute sessions in the House of Commons.
Mr Kawczynski, the only Polish-born British Member of Parliament, was also proud that Queen Elizabeth II recognised the role of Poland's fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain in 1940.
He said: "When I met Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace, she looked at me and immediately started to tease me — to rib me mercilessly — about the difference in height, she being 5ft 2ins and me being 6ft 9ins.
"Of course, that immediately broke the ice. I was so nervous at meeting my sovereign for the first time, and it was so good to have that joke at the start of our interaction. Later on in the evening, she was standing at one end of the room and I was at the other end. In front of everybody, she continued teasing me with a gesture about the difference in height."
Mr Kawczynski added that the "most important thing that happened that evening" was when she started to talk to him about her pride in the contribution of Polish fighter pilots during the Second World War.
He said: "She referenced the fact that the Polish 303 squadron shot down more enemy aircraft in the Battle of Britain than any other squadron did, and she paid tribute to the extraordinary contribution of Polish mathematicians and cryptographers in helping to break the enigma code at Bletchley, and to the forces that joined the British Eighth Army in north Africa and at Monte Cassino. Of course, my heart melted."
Mr Kawczynski added: "Being the only Polish-born British Member of Parliament and listening to our sovereign outlining her pride in the Polish contribution, and talking about how her father had outlined to her his pride in it, is something that I will always remember.
"The communist regime in the country of my birth has been consigned to the ash heap of history because it ruled through fear, intimidation and the secret police.
"It is gone, whereas Her Majesty’s memory is eternal because of the love and kindness that she showed us all."
