Royal passengers were a dream come true for Games driver
Driver Ah Ming once read a fairy tale about a beautiful princess riding in a horse-drawn carriage - but he never imagined he would take princesses from Jordan and Denmark on rides through the streets of the city.
'The experience was amazing,' he said. 'I never dreamed of offering my services to such VIPs. I was just trying my luck when I filled out the application to work as a driver during the equestrian events [of the Olympic Games]. I never thought I would win the job and get a chance to serve princesses from around the world.'
'The princess from Denmark [equestrian competitor Nathalie zu Sayn Wittgenstein] left me with a stronger impression than the princess from Jordan [Haya bint Al-Hussein, president of the International Equestrian Federation], as I served her for six days. She did not smile on the first day, but she began smiling on the second day and even said 'thank you' and 'good night' to me when she got out of the car,' he said.
All important guests at the equestrian events had very busy schedules, including the Danish princess.
'Her appointments were so packed and there was no time to lose. One day when her driver was not too efficient, the princess was late for her helicopter flight to Macau, I was told. I felt happy serving important guests for Hong Kong, but sometimes I felt nervous, too - I had to do my job well to make them feel happy.'
Despite her busy schedule, the Danish princess seemed to be very interested in local culture, especially wet markets, he said. He recalled her spending hours at fresh food stalls in Gage Street, Central.
Ah Ming also took the opportunity to be the city's ambassador, showing the princess around Hong Kong.
'The princess from Denmark is a very considerate person. She could have asked for 10 private cars to use whenever she went out, but she didn't. She always said she needed only one car ... apparently not wanting to waste the government's resources.'
