Some time in the early sixties I used to work part time for a company selling rare and antique carpets from a small warehouse on the Thames embankment. on one occasion they got the commission to sell one of Hitler's carpets from the Reichstag in Berlin, now this carpet was to big for their warehouse so they hired the Hilton Hotel ballroom in Park Lane for the sale. The carpet was hand woven in silver silk thread with the German Eagle
emblazoned at its centre and just about fitted the ballroom floor, the auction went ahead
but the carpet did not reach its reserve and was not sold. In the lunch hour I went for a stroll up to Marble Arch and on my way back, just as I was passing the Grosvener Hotel
I was set upon by two of the biggest men I have ever seen, I was pushed and shoved into a corner just along from the entrance to the hotel, these two geezers stood with their backs to me keeping me in the corner and they never said a word, they both had walkie
talkies and gun holsters under their coats and try as hard as I might I could not push my way past them. Some time later a cavalcade of black stretched limos flanked by a dozen or so Harley Davidsons slowly made their way down Park Lane and stopped outside the Grosvener Hotel, the Limos were flying little American flags and amid a scrum of photographers a man and women got out of one of the cars and went into the Hotel, the cavalcade then made its way slowly down Park Lane and soon every thing was back to normal, with that the two Titans just walked into the hotel, they did not look at me or say anything, they just ignored me. When I arrived back at the Hilton and told my story no one believed me and I got the sack, instant dismissal.
I heard on the news later that evening that the dignitary that had ruined my day was
Hubert Humphrey, vice president of America. I was wearing a long black frock coat at the time with waist length hair so I guess I rang some alarm bells somewhere.
Any one got any similar stories, mistaken identities or had your day ruined by some supposed celeb.
