Chapter 18

At the Saturday dinner with the charity, Willow and Marian gave them a list of the artists, along with the songs that they would perform. It was timed, based on the original tracks, with the ENO and Ginas’ parts estimated. All told, it would run for three hours.

There was discussion about the artists, but with the King expressing the desire to recreate the ‘VivWillow and Friends’ show, the list that Willow gave them was accepted. Over the next two months, the chosen artists were contacted, and supplied their wanted set and the timing. Willow organised a full day in the performance workshop in Leicester, with the Blue Note Orchestra on hand for all the other singers who would be using them as backing.

Two weeks before the show, Gina flew in and stayed with Willow and Garry at Marlow, with the girls joining with ‘Third Rating’ to practice the older songs, and Garry replacing Victor to rehearse the ‘Garreth’ numbers. Angie met her namesake and had her shirt signed. On the weekend before the show, they had Watford for the two days, one to perfect things, and the Sunday to make a recording of both a CD and a DVD.

The charity board were invited for both days, and the Royal Family was advised that Sunday would be the day of recording. The studio was set up like the stage, with the orchestra at the back, with a grand piano to the right, with amps and a drum kit to the left. They organised coaches for both days, with the coaches leaving the area on Sunday morning.

Peter, from Willows’ detail, guided the official cars to the studio on the Sunday morning. It was formal with the welcome but became more informal as the artists went into the studio and took up their positions. The charity artistic director had been there on the day before and was able to explain the way the lighting would be used to let the show flow.

They made a recording of the main musical acts, which lasted around two and a three-quarter hours. The TV people were present to get some idea of where the cameras should be pointing, and would perfect that during the following Saturday, when they would perform the whole show in the morning and afternoon. The Royal party mingled with all of the performers, with Sarah having organised finger food and drinks.

The show was one of the quickest to be booked out, with the Ministers’ office making sure that there were plenty of seats for official attendees. Ginas’ family flew in that week, and she went to stay in the hotel with them. In that time, Willow and Marian were generally in the House, with Garry being the one to pull things together, much as he had done with the earlier charity show.

The House would be rising the week after the show and would be away until the last week of January, unless there were any urgent matters to attend to, as well as the New Year party, of course. In the Party room, it was the talk of the week. There would be a large contingent at the show, and most were looking forward to it.

On the Saturday morning, Willow had organised transport for everyone, and they gathered on the stage to get an idea of the space before the first full rehearsal. They all went to get changed and then took their places, with the full show being played out in full for the first time. The TV people got their sightlines, and the artistic director gave orders for the lighting. After lunch, they did it all again, but with the house lights as they would be during the show.

Everyone who watched it were convinced that it would all work beautifully and would be the top rating show that evening. They all went to their hotels to have dinner and freshen up, then gathered, once more, at the Albert Hall. All the cast were now getting nervy for the actual show. They all knew that the nerves would pass once it was off and running, but the jitters was a constant companion.

The Albert Hall filled, and the TV crews got ready for the broadcast. Just before the start time, the Blue Note Orchestra walked out to take their places, with applause. Moyra led the tuning and that was followed by Howard Bambrough, looking dapper, taking his place in front of them. He raised his baton, and they started the show with the National Anthem, the audience standing and singing as the Royal Box was populated with the whole family, plus one fiancée and one boyfriend, and the stage area was darkened.

There was a cheer as the singing ended and everyone sat, as a voice came over the speakers.

“A sincere welcome everyone, here and watching on television, to the twenty thirty-nine Royal Variety Performance. We start the entertainment with a band joining us from California. They have toured the country and have had songs in our top ten. Please welcome ‘Blank Slate’!”

The left side of the stage was lit with the band ready to play, getting into the five best songs from the last couple of years. When they finished and had bowed to the audience, their side of the stage was darkened and a spotlight came on, highlighting a single figure strolling on from the right. It was a well-known comedian, a favourite of the Queen, and one that was respected for his lack of profanities. He had his fifteen minutes on stage, and then introduced Howard and the Blue Note Orchestra, with the voices of the English National Opera.

The leading singers were ready as the centre of the stage lit up and the music led them into a group of songs from their latest box office hits. At the end of that, the leading singer spoke about the hit from a few years ago, that led to two songs topping the charts, as the Vivienne appeared in a spotlight on the right to sing the two hit songs from the ‘Magic Laptop’.

When she finished, she waited as the applause continued for several seconds. She walked towards the front of the stage as it quietened.

“Thank you, Your Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen. Many years ago, I was playing flute in the orchestra behind me. I was a teenager, and a friend of mine, from school, was in that orchestra as well. She has gone on to become one of the worlds’ top classical pianists. Please welcome Angelina Innocenti!”

The spotlight shone on Gina at the grand piano, as the timpani rumbled into the start of the ‘Warsaw Concerto’, a good ten minutes of strong piano and the orchestra, but in keeping with the variety vibe. At the end, there was strong applause as Gina stood by the piano and bowed.

“Thank you. Like Vivienne, I have been on this stage when I was a teenager. I played the piano as a soloist for one of the nights of the Proms. I was followed on that night, by a girl that I had met, sitting on the bench outside our local church, when I was twelve. That meeting has changed more lives than just the two of us.”

She walked towards a keyboard.

“Back then, I was Gina Summer.”

A spotlight showed Willow at another keyboard.

“And I was Willow Rose. We became –“

They said “Summer Rose” in unison, and there was cheering. Willow smiled.

“I said then that we were good as individuals, better together, and with the rest of the band, we were unstoppable.”

Then, ‘Third Rating’ was lit as Willow started the introduction to ‘Finding a Friend’. They did that, ‘Her Day’, and a couple of numbers from ‘Greenhouse Varieties’. At the end, they all bowed to great applause. Willow thanked the audience and then spoke.

“The band beside us are mostly members of the old ‘Summer Rose’, today they have been in the charts as ‘Third Rating’, so please listen to their own hits.”

The lights on the keyboards went off, and the band had their time in the spotlight. After they had bowed, Geoff introduced Zara, who was lit up, near the piano, with Willow at the keys. Zara sung a group of her own hits, with Willow and the orchestra. At the end, she bowed and acknowledged the audience.

“Many years ago, I shared a stage with everyone with me tonight, and I sung a duet with someone that you’ve already met. Please welcome Vivienne Anderson back on the stage to sing a duet from ‘The Phantom of the Opera’.”

When the applause slowed, after they had sung, Vivienne stepped forward as Zara stepped back.

“Over the years, Willow has performed with several others. She and I spent one summer playing in gay clubs in Europe. It was six hours a night, and a wonderful experience. Between us, we made several albums under the name of VivWillow. Here are some numbers from that era.”

They sang the best from those days, with Willow at the piano, and then Willow introduced Cliff, who sang his best songs with the orchestra. He then waited for the applause to quieten.

“Your Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen. Tonight, you have heard some songs from the career of Willow Rose. I have known her for years, and she is a remarkable woman, now a Member of Parliament. At the time that I first was on stage with her, she was on the point of becoming one of ‘Toxic Rocks’, with her husband, Garry Randall. After that band broke up, she put together another band, going back on the road with ‘Garreth’. That band didn’t have a very long time in the charts, just a couple of years, but they did have a number of hits. I present ‘Garreth’!”

Geoff, Roy, Brent, Garry, Willow and Zara were lit up and did their set. When they finished, to cheers and applause, Willow stepped to the front of the stage as behind her went dark.

“Your Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you for your appreciation of this evenings’ entertainment. When I was asked to reprise some of my career, I didn’t realise just how busy I’ve been. As something totally different, we bring you a band that have toured the world, have had chart-topping hits, and have raised the blood pressure of almost every red-blooded man in the world. Please welcome ‘Cauldron’!”

She was plunged into darkness as the band were lit and got into their set of the new ‘Girl Power’ music. The set ending with the new song that the Randalls had written about living in a free country, with a wonderful Royal Family, and the positive thoughts that they held for the decade to come. Halfway through, the rest of the cast joined them on stage, the songs’ words projected on the wall behind the orchestra.

The chorus was easy enough for everyone to sing and the finale was complete with a brilliant light show and falling balloons. Everyone bowed as the audience stood and applauded. There was calls for more as the TV coverage finished with the credits rolling. When the director signalled that the broadcast had finished, the lead singer of ‘Cauldron’ waved for quiet.

“We have an encore song, just for you. It’s not the exact original words, to fit tonight’s brevity. We want to dedicate it to the person who could be our most important fan.”

They ripped into the very old song ‘Louie Louie’, changing the gender of the subject, without the suggestive words. The new words were projected onto the back wall so that everyone could sing along, much to the joy of the young man in the Royal Box. When they finished, the lights went out and the stage was cleared.

The Royal Box emptied, and the theatre was cleared, with just the cleaning crew waiting to start their work. Beside the stage, a pair of figures stood, one dressed in midnight blue, the other in red, just as they had been for the last show at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, all those years before. They had chosen the dresses as a bookend to their times on stage.

For Gina, it had been fun to recreate ‘Summer Rose’, and to draw a line under the time before her serious career as a classical solo pianist. It brought home to her the teenage years, compared to her current position as a mother of two, and a complete family life in Florence.

For Willow, it also drew the line under her career on the entertainment stage and marked the beginning of her own serious career in politics and public life. Neither of them had any second thoughts. They had ‘been there and done that’, which had made them both rich and famous.

“Looks like this is it, friend?”

“It does, Gina. When they asked me to put this show on, I had no idea how much it would mean to us, as well as to the audience. The reviews will be interesting.”

“We had better head down to be presented to royalty. We both need to go to the loo, to clean up our faces. We both cried a lot in our teens, but this has been over the top for sentiment. Come on, Wonderful Weeping Willow, time to meet our fans.”

“With you all the way, spiritual sister and friend for life.”

“All the way, sister.”

They hugged, went and tidied up, and then walked, hand in hand, into the big room where the rest of the cast were waiting to be introduced. The chairman of the charity saw Willow and called her over to help introduce the cast. She was the first to speak to the family as they came in, getting hugs from the children and being introduced to the oldest boys’ fiancée, and the Princess’ companion, a handsome man dressed in a Guards’ uniform. The youngest prince looked excited when he hugged her.

“Who was it who asked for that encore, Willow?”

“I believe that it was Shania, the lead guitarist, sir. I noticed, from the time you spent talking to her last week, that you could be a fan.”

“Thank you for that. I am a fan of the group, yes, but, between you and me, I like her the best.”

Willow led the royal party along the line, introducing everyone as they moved along. Rather than the official limp handshake, everyone had hugs, with every hug recorded for posterity by the official photographer. One picture that was on page three on Monday was the one where the young prince held Shania a lot longer than usual.

One of the dignitaries, that night, was the American Consul. She spent some time with the Americans, especially the five from the ‘Cauldron’ band. The PM was in his element, shaking hands and hugging as many of the women as he could. When he got to Willow, he told her that she was great, and that the show had done more for some relationships than thought possible.

The evening went on, well after the royals had left. Willow circulated, thanking everyone for their talent. Shania was beaming.

“You’ll never guess, Willow. The US Consul has invited the five of us and ‘Blank Slate’ to the Consulate for a dinner next Wednesday. She told us that she has a pair of brand-new passports for our two trans friends, that are marked with an ‘f’ and only need them to bring some passport photos to be completed.”

“That’s wonderful. When’s your date with the prince?”

“He invited me to the Palace for lunch, on Monday. A car will pick me up.”

“Congratulations. From what he said, earlier, I think that he has a soft spot for you.”

“Hopefully, Willow, I can make sure that it doesn’t stay soft for long!”

Laughing, Willow moved on, meeting up with Howard and a gaggle of orchestra members. It became a hugfest, with Howard declaring that this show had knocked the big charity show off the pedestal of his most memorable. Marian caught up with Willow, along with Maude, and both gave her a hug. Maude was grinning.

“That was a great show, young Under Secretary. It’s going to give the two of you a lot more work over the next few years. There’ll be invitations with you named. All the better for me to take it easy.”

Around the country, people were discussing the show that they had seen. The more than two hundred that had watched it on the big screen in the Stoneleigh Community Club were happy to have seen their favourite ex-village celebrities doing what they did so well. The Head of the Blue Coat School was thinking about what photo would be the best for the expanded Honour Wall. The old Head raised a glass to the screen and congratulated her best students. All those who had had contact with Willow, since she had finished performing, sat in amazement at the skills of the woman they knew.

Maude was right, as more than half the requests for attendance were directed at Willow, by name for the next months. When the House rose, at the end of the next week, the work didn’t reduce, and Marian was only able to go home for Christmas. There was one very odd event, at least Willow thought it was odd. England Netball must have looked at the school records and seen her two years as goal defence in trophy winning teams. She was invited to join the governing board.

She was also added to the board of the Variety Charity, so was meeting with the royals on a regular basis before the end of the year. Another thing that became a regular event was the times that Shania was photographed with the young prince. Many editorials wondered if any future marriage would cause as much trouble as the two previous ones where princes had married Americans.

The Randalls were honoured guests at two book launches, a week apart. The first was for ‘Rocks and Beyond’, the book by Jeremy on the last years of the Rocks, including the final line-up and the short history of Macs’ time in ‘Garreth’. The second launch was for ‘A Sap and the Rose’, a history of Summer Rose, from the first show with the Gees to the tour of Australia, by Xavier. Both books were in time to reach the top ten on the book sales list with sales prior to Christmas.

At the New Year party, in Parliament, Willow and Garry were standing by their favourite window to see the fireworks. This time, they had been joined by her parents, her brother, Marian, Ken and Angie. John and Angie were chatting about school, with John now into high school and Angie in her first year at primary. Garry stood in his usual position, behind Willow with his arms around her.

“I’ve just realised something, my darling.”

“What is that, my husband?”

“This place has been a part of our life for a few years, but it’s now your workplace. It’s fitting, you know, that you found something that’s so interesting.”

“I can only do it because you’re keeping the rest of our businesses going.”

He snorted.

“That hardly needs either of us, now. The office is self-sufficient. With the bonus that they shared, this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see an offer to buy into the company.”

“Would you be upset with that?”

“As long as the girls look after it, I would welcome an offer.”

“Good answer, love. I can’t see me being able to take over again as long as I keep getting elected.”

When she went back to work, the following year, life continued as hectic as ever. The two continued to attend various events, from horse races to sporting events, from public speaking to gala dinners. In the summer break, that year, the PM made her a Special Envoy and sent her to America to improve relations.

Willow and Garry spent six weeks in America, accompanied by Marian and Ken, who had now realised that if he wanted to be with his wife, he would have to give up his business. Angie was staying with her grandmother while they were away. In those six weeks, several trade deals were finalised, and several invitations had been issued.

One of the side effects of the show was the lift in demand for Willows’ back catalogue. She donated all of her income from that to the Variety Charity.

Over the next few years, Willow became more and more immersed in the political life. Garry became more involved with things she was doing. Marian became completely as one with the office of the Minister and became as trusted as Janice with the details of ministerial life. Four years into the term, Dame Mordaunt became ill, and had to resign, with Willow taking her place as the Minister, and Marian taking over as Under Secretary, with Janice as the PA for both of them, and a staffer taking on the secretarial work, in Marians’ office. One thing led to another, and, as the years rolled on, the Randalls became the go-to couple to oversee big events, like Royal Weddings, and, some years later, another Coronation.

Not long before the next election, the entire staff of Red Wolf clubbed together and made the Randalls an offer of thirty million for the business and all the assets except the two recording studios. The couple talked it over and accepted the offer.

The year after the election with Willow still the Minister, Kevin decided to retire from teaching, declaring that he would put his apartment on the market. Willow made him an offer to buy the rest of the lease, which was good enough for him to accept. When the apartment was empty, she had it redecorated, and Marian moved into it with her family.

By this time, her brother John nearing the end of his time at the Blue Coat in Coventry, with Wendy spending most of her time in Rising Lane to maintain a sense of security for him. When the next election approached, John had passed his ‘A’ levels and had his name down for the London College of Music. He had gone through the music stream at Blue Coat and Willow had him working in the studio in Watford part-time.

A year before the next election, the party at Chequers was important. It was in the privacy of that party, that the PM declared that he was standing down as the Prime Minister and the leader of the party. He declared that his anointed successor was Ashley Rose, who had been the Minister of Business and Trade close to twenty years. He would have a party room meeting in the first week of the New Year, to take a proper vote.

That January, Ashley Rose became the Prime Minister. Wendy moved to Chequers, and they sold Rising Lane. It may be for just six months, but the Roses’ were going to enjoy the perks of the job for as long as they could, with the apartment as back-up should it end with the vote. John was now living upstairs in number three.

When John graduated with his degree in music, he was put in overall charge of the studios, now joined by another two in America and one in Sydney that had been bought. That New Year, the Randalls didn’t get to stand by their favourite window, because they were busy hosting the party as the PMs’ family, having won yet another election.

It was no surprise to many when both Randalls were named Lord Garreth and Lady Willow in the Kings’ Birthday Honours. It was the same as when they had received their OBE, with some declaring that it was a put-up job, until there was a leak from the Palace that Willows’ family had no idea about the nomination, which had been proposed by the Prince and his new wife, Princess Shania.

Of course, nothing lasts for ever, and the party lost the following election, mainly on the ‘it’s time for a change’ mantra. Before they retired from politics, Willow was the Shadow Foreign Secretary, and Marian was the Shadow Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport for a term. Oddly, between them, they were invited to more events than the incoming government ministers.

Ashley finally retired and moved with Wendy to his old family home in Oxford, his parents having passed with hardly anyone noticing, and WR Holdings having sold the design studio to the employees in a management buy-out. When she did retire, Willow followed her father on the speaking circuit for a short time. She had lived well, had made her mark on the world. Selling Marlow, the Randalls bought a quiet hide-away, ten acres just north of Brisbane, on the Sunshine Coast, where they lived their lives in comfort, hosting family and friends who visited. The children of their bandmates were often there, with Salice becoming almost their daughter with the number of visits she made.

They often left Australia, mainly for happy events. They travelled to America to see Vivienne finally get an Oscar, to Sydney to see Evelyns’ daughter on the catwalk; as well as her granddaughter who followed her into the fashion business. They also saw Samantha at her final concert, when she was the opening act to her own daughter. They were regulars at concerts where Gina was the soloist, until she, too, retired. Several times, they were back to England to attend award nights, sometimes getting an award themselves for songwriting, as that was one thing that they never stopped doing, writing songs that were stories, in a world battered by one- or two-line lyrics accompanied by monotonous beat.

There were sad visits as well. Firstly, for her mothers’ funeral, from breast cancer. The second was for Ashleys’ funeral, from simple old age. That one was a bigger affair, held in the Westminster Abbey, with the attendees wearing their regalia, as befitted Sir Ashley Rose, an ex-prime minister with thirty years in the House. There were many who had been buried before they heard about it, old schoolfriends, employees, bandmates.

They used the bulk of their fortune to fund a new school in Brisbane, based on the Blue Coat template, with a full-size theatre, a recording studio, post-production suite, and large rehearsal rooms. They bought a run-down caravan park and cleared the site to build it. The intake of students, and a youthful teaching staff, were almost their family. As they aged, they made new wills, leaving the new Salice Academy a legacy of the remaining GWR bank account. They left the remaining bank account for WR Holdings, the recording studios, other assets, and the rights of their back catalogue to John, now an esteemed producer of both hit records and children, maintaining the Rose family line, including a Willow Jean and a Garreth, all frequent visitors. Hardly a week went by without the sound of laughter in their house.

Garry died from a heart attack in his eighties, leaving Willow to weep for days. She slowed down, living a quiet life with just a live-in housekeeper to look after her in her remaining few years, still visiting the school, a sadder figure, but still with a smile for everyone.

Eventually, Willows’ heart decided that the show was over, and it was time to quietly leave the stage, surrounded by John and her extended family. She was buried alongside Garry, becoming a place of pilgrimage for later generations. It was shaded by a blue quandong tree, on which Evelyns’ granddaughter had put a ring made of stainless steel and firmly attached with long screws. There was a well-worn place, where anyone taking a photo of the tombstone would be able to include the halo over her name, fulfilling the wish that Evelyn had made, all those years before, when they were all teenagers with an unknown life ahead of them.

Marianne Gregory © 2025