On April 7, 2004, Queen Elizabeth II visited Toulouse. At the request of the mayor of the time, Philippe Douste-Blazy, Hélène Vié is responsible for giving him a bouquet of violets. President of the association “Les amis de la Violette” at the time, she has fond memories of it.
“One of the most beautiful moments of my life”
Hélène Vié still has the photo of this unique moment. She sits proudly on the barge posted on the Canal du Midi. “What a memory! It was magical. The stress was mounting, her lady-in-waiting arrived first and passed on to me, telling me that the Queen was going to be very honored and that she was going to give me a nice surprise. A silence, the black car parks at the level of the arcades of the capitol. And there: she gets out of the car dressed all in purple! She arrived with incredible class and elegance. He was given the bouquet of violets. She was very touched, she told me that it is a pleasure to be dressed in the color of our dear violet. I was over the moon, very surprised that she spoke to us in perfect French. I remember that there were armed men on the roofs of the Capitol and I had the privilege of speaking violet with her. For Toulouse and for our work around the violet I was proud. She received people all day at the Capitol with this beautiful bouquet. It’s been one of the best moments of my life.”
– Julien Balidas