Royal fan Stan Kaye is hoping to be discharged from hospital tonight — in time to be at the King’s Coronation in the morning.
The 70-year-old has been diagnosed with leukaemia on top of kidney cancer and is in the Drake haematology ward at Northwick Park Hospital, hoping to be well enough to return home to Kingsbury to take up his reserved place outside Buckingham Palace and see King Charles in the State Coach.
Stan is no stranger to the Royal Family, having organised a visit by the Late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh to the East End for the centenary in 2017 of the First World War air raid that hit a school in Poplar where 18 children were killed.
“The Late Queen was like my own mum to me,” Stan says. “She had her coronation just before I was born, the only monarch I had known all my life. She was like a family member when you think of it.
“So it’s important I see her son’s coronation procession, but have to wait to see if I can be discharged from hospital.”
Stan, who has just become a grandfather for the first time, has his roots in the East End, the son and grandson of Jewish barbers but who went into engineering himself as a career.
Stan at Mile End archive likbrary researching school bombing centenary
He has a passion for military history, which led him to research the first air raid on London by the Germans in 1917 when the Millwall Docks were attacked. The raid led to North Street School being hit, killing the children in the infants’ class.
“I felt it was important to mark the centenary,” Stan recalls. “I wrote to Buckingham Palace and got a pleasant surprise when the Queen agreed to be part of the centenary commemoration.”
Larte Queen's visit to Mayflower School organised by Stan
The Queen and Prince Philip toured the school, now known as Mayflower Primary, following a commemoration service led by the Bishop of Stepney at the nearly All Saints Church.
Stan, who was born in Mile End in 1953 just a short distance from Mayflower Primary, used social media to trace descendants of the families who lost children in the 1917 air raid.
Late Queen meeting pupils in visit arranged by Stan Kaye
He spent many hours at the Mile End library archives going through old press cuttings to piece together the tragic story.
Just last week Stan was at a commemoration with the Royal Chelsea pensioners with his Union Jack.
Stan at the Mayflower School centenery memrial that he organised
“I came to Northwick Park Hospital for my diagnosis with my suitcase which just happen to have the flag tucked inside,” Stan recalls. “I used it last week for the Commando annual parade with the Chelsea Pensioners.
“The nurses took pictures of me with my flag and we made a right royal occasion or it.”
Stan Kaye... hoping to be in time for Coronation
Stan has started chemo treatment and hopes to be fit enough to go home today. After all, he’s got as seat reserved outside Buck Palace.
He missed the Late Queen’s coronation just before he was born. So he doesn’t want to miss her son’s crowning moment.
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