She was the face of the British Monarchy for over 70 years until her recent passing. Her voice gave comfort and confidence to her subjects during times of crisis. She dedicated her life to serving the kingdom. Were you aware that the Queen also had a marvelous sense of humor?
Her majesty spent most summers on holiday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. One day in the distant past, she went out for a picnic off the castle grounds in Balmoral with her Royal Protection Officer, Richard Griffin.
The Queen, overtly friendly, took time to greet two American tourists who were out on a hiking holiday. The tourists did not recognize her majesty, garbed in tweeds with a scarf head covering. “It was clear from the moment that we first stopped (that) they hadn’t recognized the Queen; the American gentleman was telling the Queen where he’d come from, where they were going to next, and where they’d been to in Britain,” Griffin said. He sensed that The Queen might take advantage of her apparent anonymity and play the role of a commoner. The gentleman asked her where she lived, and according to Griffin, she responded, “Well, I live in London, but I’ve got a holiday home just the other side of the hills,” referring to Balmoral.
The tourist advanced the conversation by asking Her Majesty how long she had been visiting the area. She answered, “for over 80 years”, and the tourist responded with the assumption that she must have at some point met the Queen. Without missing a beat, the Queen, looking towards Mr. Griffin, said, “Well, I haven’t, but Dickie here meets her regularly.” According to Griffin, Her Majesty “can be very cantankerous at times, but she’s got a lovely sense of humor,” adding: “I knew I could pull her leg.”
This prompted the tourist to request that the Queen take a photo of them with Mr. Griffin. For good measure, the Queen suggested that she switch places with Mr. Griffin for a second photo. The two parties waved at each other as they carried on with their respective journeys. As Griffin and the Queen walked away, she quipped to Griffin, “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photographs to friends in America. Hopefully, someone tells him who I am.”
