Atlanta man recalls meeting Queen Elizabeth II, has ties to King Charles III

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - Rodney Mims Cook Jr. is mourning the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. He’s one of few Americans that was privileged to meet her not once, but twice, in his lifetime.

“I met Her Majesty, The Queen at the In and Out Club. Which really was the Duke of Edinburgh’s pub. It’s within walking distance of Buckingham Palace. It was after the Prince of Wales’s birthday and she was there with the Queen of Norway,” Cook said.

That meeting happened in 2019. Cook was in England celebrating then Prince Charles’s 70th birthday and biography release. Cook is mentioned by name in that book. He worked directly under the former Prince of Wales for six years as the first American trustee of the Prince of Wales’s Foundation for Architecture.

Cook is also the President of the National Monument Foundation, which constructed the Millennium Arch Museum near Atlantic Station. That project was partially designed by now King Charles III.

“I’ve worked really hard for him and I’m devoted to him,” Cook said.

Over the years Cook says King Charles III left many marks on Atlanta, including his gift of the Prince of Wales’s World Athletes Monument during the 1996 summer Olympic games.

The monument is the only building erected by the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, outside of Great Britain. Cook says His Majesty the King was integrally involved in its design.

Cook is confident King Charles III will be a great successor to the throne.

“She’s a wonderful lady. I’m very privileged to have met her and I’m devoted to her son, the King. So from America, we send our most sincere wishes and our great sadness at her passing,” Cook said.

The National Monument Foundation and Midtown Alliance are hosting a public viewing of the Queen’s funeral at the Prince of Wales’s World Athletes Monument on Monday morning. It begins at 6 am. For more details, click HERE.

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