Appeal boss for Luton burns survivor Shamiam recalls the day she met The Queen

Linda was awarded an MBE in 2006 for her charity work in Romania.

She recalls: “My parents, my partner and I travelled to Buckingham Palace and we were all in absolute awe of the planning surrounding the event.

"We were briefed about what to do when meeting Her Majesty and I felt safe and honoured because everything was so meticulously organised.”

But she admits to being filled with “anticipation, fear, dread and anxiety” before the event.

"What if I got it all wrong?” she muses. “When you address the Monarch you’re supposed to say ‘Ma’am’ to rhyme with jam, curtsey at the right distance, then walk away respectfully and in reverse.

"Then there I was, facing the Queen . . . and in an instant all my worries faded away. Looking at this beautiful serene lady as she smiled at me with warmth in her eyes and chatted with absolute ease, asking me about my charity work while pinning my medal to the prepared broach bar we had to wear.”

Linda smiles: “What impressed me most was the respect The Queen showed everyone. No-one was beneath her, she wanted to connect with people, she cared, she showed grace and humility.”

And she adds: “We have been truly blessed to have had such a faithful, devoted lady to care for us all these years and she made a real difference to our lives.

"I am eternally grateful I had the opportunity to shake her hand and say ‘Thank you, Ma’am.’”

> Linda and John have worked tirelessly to support Shamaim who is now studying media at university.

When she and her family first came to this country, they were on a medical visa which meant her father was not allowed to work and all hospital visits had to be paid for. Professor Peter Dziewulski – Shamiam’s beloved Uncle Doctor – gave his services free at Broomfield Hospital’s St Andrew’s burns unit. The family became British citizens in 2019.