When former acting San Diego Mayor Bill Cleator died in 1993, his obituary referred to his infamous breach of royal protocol when he lightly touched Queen Elizabeth II during the British monarch’s maiden visit to San Diego in 1983.
But generating the most gossip during his brief visit was his meeting of Laura Jo Watkins, the young golden-haired daughter of James Watkins, who commanded Cruiser Destroyer Group One in Coronado at the time. Laura Jo had met the prince at a reception aboard the Jupiter. After Prince Harry’s stay at the Courtyard by Marriott in Solana Beach on Oct. 15, 2011, the sales manager told me that his room, No. 202, was being referred to informally as the “royal suite.” Harry also created some media buzz with a visit to the nearby Belly Up tavern where a blurry paparazzi photo purportedly showed him bussing an attractive young brunette.
Cleator phoned Prince Philip to ask if he had committed an egregious gaffe. The Duke of Edinburgh told him not to worry — the British press was just finding something to write about. As a gift to the queen, Cleator had asked San Diegans to submit photos showing the British influence on San Diego, such as the Old Globe Theatre and street signs in Kensington and Talmadge. These were compiled into a photo album presented to her.
Another San Diegan, Elena Salsitz, was chief of protocol at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston when Queen Elizabeth visited the center in 1991. NASA planners asked Salsitz to find a special place for the luncheon, so she turned a training facility containing a mock space shuttle and astronaut living quarters into a makeshift banquet hall.