Charles and Samantha are looking forward to spending some time away from Mansion House.
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“The City of London is and will forever be the greatest city on earth,” the Lord Mayor Charles Bowman told City News, days before officially leaving office.
Charles and Samantha Bowman are the 690th Lord and Lady Mayor of the City of London.
Today marks their final day in office before handing their responsibilities over to the incoming mayoral couple, Peter and Lindy Estlin.
With only a few hours left in office Charles and Samantha Bowman told City News what it’s like to be Lord and Lady Mayoress and what the future holds, both for them, and the City.
According to Mr Bowman he knew he wanted to become Lord Mayor from a young age after attending the Lord Mayor’s show with his father.
“It was a wet, cold and fairly miserable November day, but I remember very vividly watching this extraordinary parade and procession, full of energy, full of colour, full of pageantry. That probably sowed a seed at that moment in time.”
And the rest is history.
Years later he was riding in that same parade as the Lord Mayor of the City of London.
When asked about what it looked like from the carriage Mr Bowman said that it was an overwhelming experience, which filled him with excitement and trepidation for the year ahead.
“It’s an extraordinary sight because what you realise, and I don’t know the exact size but there are nearly half a million people on the streets on that particular day, and the common feature is that everyone has a smile on their face.”
Travelling through the crowd at his own Lord Mayor’s parade day in 2017. Credit: Getty Images
His wife, Lady Mayoress Samantha Bowman was also in that parade riding on horseback behind the golden carriage with their daughters. However, her memories of the day differed slightly, “My overwhelming desire was to stay on the horse and not have an unscheduled dismount!”
One of the most notable aspects of the Mayorship is the ceremony surrounding this historic position.
Mr Bowman says that he quickly got used to this pageantry revealing that the past year taught him to “do it with confidence, do it with theatre and do it with pause. If ever in doubt then a bow will always go down well!”
But there is more to the Lord Mayor than bowing and standing? This past year has been dominated by Brexit negotiations and with international trade potentially being hit the hardest, Charles Bowman has self admittedly had a very challenging role to play.
He told City News that most of his time is spent travelling. He has spent 110 days abroad visiting 30 different countries with the objective to create ties and reassure the world that London will remain a global business leader after leaving the European Union next year.
Busy schedule: Lord Mayor Charles Bowman meeting Kim Dong-yeon (R) in Seoul earlier this year. Credit: PA Images
His second objective concerned his mayoral theme, the Business of Trust. According to Bowman, “This program aims to leave a lasting legacy of better business trusted by society. I have been delighted with how it been received and has resonated the world over through the course of the year.”
Despite all this travelling Charles Bowman firmly believes that London is still incredibly unique in the sense that ‘it truly is a one stop shop.’
“500 metres you walk from tech to fin, where as with all due respect, in other parts of the world its 5000 miles from tech to fin and another 1000 miles if you want to get to the regulator and then there are 52 individual hurdles to overcome if you want to access the domestic market.”
“So it is not without good strategic intent but London is a real thriving centre of excellence when it comes to technology.”
With such a busy schedule how do Lord and Lady Mayoresses plan to spend their new-found free time?
Well for Samantha, a self-confessed “telly lover”, the plan is to catch up on her favourite shows, including The Crown, which was partly filmed in Mansion House.
Scenes of The Crown were filmed in Mansion House – where the Lord and Lady Mayoress spend their year in office. Credit: Getty Images/Netfix
And what about family life? Both Charles and Samantha explained that become Lord and Lady Mayoress came with big challenges and changes to family life.
As parents to two young daughters Grace and Charlotte they were aware the decision to accept this role was a family one. Even though the girls were in the midst of their A Levels and GCSEs they still had time to get involved with the city and what it had to offer.
The Mayoral couple posing with Theresa May (centre) and her husband (far left) at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet last year. Credit: Reuters
Samantha said that they were always very supportive of their parents and that this experience over the past year ‘has opened their eyes up to the city and what the city is and about… They’ve loved it, they’ve had a ball!
Their eldest, Grace, is even looking forward to following in her dad’s footsteps following her Freedom Ceremony earlier this week.
But what next for the future of the city of London? Both Charles and Samantha do not seem worried about the future of the city. Charles recognises that the city has a series of fundamentals in place for the future.
“Fundamentals that are very difficult to replicate, so I am not complacent about it, but quietly condiment that the city of London and London as a whole will remain as that preeminent hub and will forever be a great or the greatest city on earth.”
As of next week, the responsibility of Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress falls to Peter and Lindy Estlin. Friday will be the day that Charles Bowman hands over the reins in what is known as the Silent Ceremony before the Lord Mayors parade on Saturday.
Ahead of this historic day Mr Bowman has advised the incoming Mayoral couple to be themselves. “Peter will be the 691st Lord Mayor of this great City of London and he will do a great job. My encouragement to him will be to enjoy it!”
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Headline‘City of London greatest city in the world’ says Lord Mayor Charles Bowman on eve of stepping down
Short Headline'CoL greatest city in the world' - outgoing Lord Mayor
StandfirstDays before officially standing down, the Lord Mayor spoke exclusively to City News.
“The City of London is and will forever be the greatest city on earth,” the Lord Mayor Charles Bowman told City News, days before officially leaving office.
Charles and Samantha Bowman are the 690th Lord and Lady Mayor of the City of London.
Today marks their final day in office before handing their responsibilities over to the incoming mayoral couple, Peter and Lindy Estlin.
With only a few hours left in office Charles and Samantha Bowman told City News what it’s like to be Lord and Lady Mayoress and what the future holds, both for them, and the City.
According to Mr Bowman he knew he wanted to become Lord Mayor from a young age after attending the Lord Mayor’s show with his father.
“It was a wet, cold and fairly miserable November day, but I remember very vividly watching this extraordinary parade and procession, full of energy, full of colour, full of pageantry. That probably sowed a seed at that moment in time.”
And the rest is history.
Years later he was riding in that same parade as the Lord Mayor of the City of London.
When asked about what it looked like from the carriage Mr Bowman said that it was an overwhelming experience, which filled him with excitement and trepidation for the year ahead.
“It’s an extraordinary sight because what you realise, and I don’t know the exact size but there are nearly half a million people on the streets on that particular day, and the common feature is that everyone has a smile on their face.”
Travelling through the crowd at his own Lord Mayor’s parade day in 2017. Credit: Getty Images
His wife, Lady Mayoress Samantha Bowman was also in that parade riding on horseback behind the golden carriage with their daughters. However, her memories of the day differed slightly, “My overwhelming desire was to stay on the horse and not have an unscheduled dismount!”
One of the most notable aspects of the Mayorship is the ceremony surrounding this historic position.
Mr Bowman says that he quickly got used to this pageantry revealing that the past year taught him to “do it with confidence, do it with theatre and do it with pause. If ever in doubt then a bow will always go down well!”
But there is more to the Lord Mayor than bowing and standing? This past year has been dominated by Brexit negotiations and with international trade potentially being hit the hardest, Charles Bowman has self admittedly had a very challenging role to play.
He told City News that most of his time is spent travelling. He has spent 110 days abroad visiting 30 different countries with the objective to create ties and reassure the world that London will remain a global business leader after leaving the European Union next year.
Busy schedule: Lord Mayor Charles Bowman meeting Kim Dong-yeon (R) in Seoul earlier this year. Credit: PA Images
His second objective concerned his mayoral theme, the Business of Trust. According to Bowman, “This program aims to leave a lasting legacy of better business trusted by society. I have been delighted with how it been received and has resonated the world over through the course of the year.”
Despite all this travelling Charles Bowman firmly believes that London is still incredibly unique in the sense that ‘it truly is a one stop shop.’
“500 metres you walk from tech to fin, where as with all due respect, in other parts of the world its 5000 miles from tech to fin and another 1000 miles if you want to get to the regulator and then there are 52 individual hurdles to overcome if you want to access the domestic market.”
“So it is not without good strategic intent but London is a real thriving centre of excellence when it comes to technology.”
With such a busy schedule how do Lord and Lady Mayoresses plan to spend their new-found free time?
Well for Samantha, a self-confessed “telly lover”, the plan is to catch up on her favourite shows, including The Crown, which was partly filmed in Mansion House.
Scenes of The Crown were filmed in Mansion House – where the Lord and Lady Mayoress spend their year in office. Credit: Getty Images/Netfix
And what about family life? Both Charles and Samantha explained that become Lord and Lady Mayoress came with big challenges and changes to family life.
As parents to two young daughters Grace and Charlotte they were aware the decision to accept this role was a family one. Even though the girls were in the midst of their A Levels and GCSEs they still had time to get involved with the city and what it had to offer.
The Mayoral couple posing with Theresa May (centre) and her husband (far left) at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet last year. Credit: Reuters
Samantha said that they were always very supportive of their parents and that this experience over the past year ‘has opened their eyes up to the city and what the city is and about… They’ve loved it, they’ve had a ball!
Their eldest, Grace, is even looking forward to following in her dad’s footsteps following her Freedom Ceremony earlier this week.
But what next for the future of the city of London? Both Charles and Samantha do not seem worried about the future of the city. Charles recognises that the city has a series of fundamentals in place for the future.
“Fundamentals that are very difficult to replicate, so I am not complacent about it, but quietly condiment that the city of London and London as a whole will remain as that preeminent hub and will forever be a great or the greatest city on earth.”
As of next week, the responsibility of Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress falls to Peter and Lindy Estlin. Friday will be the day that Charles Bowman hands over the reins in what is known as the Silent Ceremony before the Lord Mayors parade on Saturday.
Ahead of this historic day Mr Bowman has advised the incoming Mayoral couple to be themselves. “Peter will be the 691st Lord Mayor of this great City of London and he will do a great job. My encouragement to him will be to enjoy it!”
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