LONDON, England - I'll never forget the day an envelope from Buckingham Palace dropped through my letterbox ... the handwriting was immaculate, the paper expensive and the seal was, well, very royal.

I was a young reporter at the time, just starting out at Yorkshire Television in the north of England, and I had been invited by the Queen for an evening reception at Buckingham Palace. I must have re-read it a dozen times before it actually sunk in.

In the summer of 1998, the Queen welcomed a group of young achievers to her London residence. Included in the envelope was a booklet with the names of all the other invitees ... I remember that footballers Michael Owen and Ryan Giggs were on the list, along with actors and television celebrities.

I bought a new suit, got myself a proper haircut and tried not to cut myself shaving as the big moment approached. My proud family waved me off at the grand gold-tipped gates and although I was 25, I felt like it was my first day at school as I headed inside.

Security was tight (as were my shoelaces) and cameras were banned (this was before the days of cell-phone photography.)

If anything can be informal and formal at the same time, this was it.  And at times it resembled something of a free-for-all as everybody jostled into a long line to shake Her Majesty's hand. But etiquette and courtesy prevailed; as the Queen approached, courtiers whispered advice on how she should be addressed.

When my moment came, I nodded deferentially and said "Ma'am."  In what was then a brief conversation, she asked what I did and I said I worked in television. "Hmm," she replied, "we've had quite a few of you in here tonight."

Whatever ego I had up until that moment was crushed. Clearly my big moment wasn't quite as big a moment for the Head of State. The Queen had worthier souls to meet, and she was quickly onto the next handshake, the next gloved handshake.

Quite honestly I had felt like a fraud all night; I was surrounded by people that had served their country in the line of duty, been injured in the line of fire, worked for charitable organisations or overcome tremendous odds to succeed in their personal lives. I was just some bloke that had anchored a few live shows at a young age.

Still, I was grateful for the experience and I never thought that I'd be standing in front of the Palace more than a decade later talking to a global audience about my brief audience with the Queen.

I wonder if any of the world's top leaders will be as intimidated as I was. There is no doubt they will all be respectful and mindful of their surroundings. But it's still easy to commit faux pas's in such company, and the U.S. President should be careful about eating too many biscuits at tea or turning his back on Her Majesty.

The same will go for the rest of the leaders at their meeting later on ... but unlike in my situation, a social mis-step will be seized upon and reported right around the world!