So many people who met the Queen have referred to her wonderful sense of humour. This was clearly evident when she had us all in hysterics with her brilliant, comedy performances during the 2012 Olympics and more recently with Paddington at the Jubilee
But there are countless other anecdotes out there which illustrate her mischievous side too.
Linda Hulme told me this story,
“One of my favourite examples was a story my Dad recounted to me….
Dad invited the Queen’s former royal protection officer, Richard Griffin, to speak at a Probus event he had organised in early 2020. Richard had the whole room laughing out loud when he shared one of his most entertaining moments with Queen Elizabeth….
“Her Majesty had gone for a walk with him near the grounds of Balmoral dressed in tweeds and a headscarf. So low key was her look, that a tourist completely failed to realise who she was. Richard said the Queen stopped and said hello to anyone she passed and so they all exchanged small talk about the tourist’s holiday in Britain. Then the tourist asked the Queen where she lived! The Queen told them she lived in London but had a holiday home in Aberdeenshire, where of course Balmoral is located. The tourist then asked the Queen how often she had visited the area and she told them that she had been visiting for over 80 years ever since she was a little girl. He then asked her if during that time she had ever seen the Queen and quick as a flash she said she hadn’t, but her companion (Richard) had met her regularly!
“The excited tourist turned to Richard and asked him what the Queen was like. Richard played along and jested that she could be very cantankerous at times… but that she had a lovely sense of humour. The tourist then threw his arm around the bodyguard, and gave his camera to the Queen, asking if she’d take a picture of them and she did so without hesitation. After the photo was taken, they swapped places and Richard took a photo of the Queen with the tourist. After they waved goodbye the Queen and Richard laughed their heads off… wondering if anyone would recognise her when the photos were shown to friends and family…would her cover be blown?”
Linda will be posting photos of how they are paying tribute to Her Majesty where she lives in Surrey. www.surreyhillstourcompany.com
Image Credits: Kt bruce .