Andrew Lloyd Webber said he “detoured” his trip to lay flowers outside Buckingham Palace on Thursday, paying tribute to the Queen, adding that “it was absolutely the right thing to do.”
His composer was traveling to Her Majesty’s Theater in London on Thursday when it was announced that the Queen had died at Balmoral Castle at the age of 96.
Speaking of paying tribute to the King, the 74-year-old told BBC Breakfast:
“Having had the luck, joy and privilege of knowing Her Majesty the Queen over the last 20 to 30 years, I thought that was the least I could do.
“Ironically, I was on my way to Her Majesty’s Theatre, which of course is now Her Majesty’s Theatre, but I detoured and my wife and I and my daughter all met outside the gates. .
“I thought it was absolutely right. She was a most extraordinary person and we will never see another like her again.
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The Queen and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber at the Apollo Theater in Victoria, London, 1984 (Ron Bell/PA)
“One of the things she symbolized for our generation was stability. She really represented a force for good that was truly extraordinary.
“We all know how devoutly she believed in the Commonwealth, and I think that says a lot about what she really stands for to people around the world.”
In 2012, Lloyd Webber and Gary Barlow of Take That composed the Queen’s official Diamond Jubilee single, “Sing.”
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Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Gary Barlow (Ian West/PA)
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Sharing the anecdote that the Queen visited his home in Berkshire to hear the song, he said:
“Arrangements were made for her to come and sing with Gary and I and a choir of equestrians, racing trainers and jockeys.
“It was a lot of fun. We had a great night. She loved musicals when she was a teenager, so we played songs from the Rodgers and Hammerstein era. It was a magical night.” .”
Lloyd Webber said he was unable to put into words how “extraordinary” Queen Elizabeth was, but said he was “very lucky to have only met her a few times”.
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The Queen meets Andrew Lloyd Webber at Buckingham Palace in 2014. (David Crumb/Daily Mail/PA)
He added:
“She came to our house once and knows what the kids did. Do you usually put your laundry outside the window?”
“She had an extraordinary way of putting people at ease.”
