Many people who were close to Queen Elizabeth remember her for her quick-witted sense of humor. And after hearing this story, we understand why.
Former Royal Protection Officer Richard Griffin spoke with Sky News in June 2022, shortly before Her Royal Highness passed away. He worked with Buckingham Palace for 30 years and had come to appreciate the queen for her “wit and charm.” And one story of her playing a joke on some American tourists remained one of his most cherished memories.
Richard said the Queen would spend a weekend each May relaxing at her estate in Balmoral. While there, she would go to a special spot for a picnic. Usually, no one would pass through that area. But on this particular occasion, Queen Elizabeth and Richard ran into two hikers who did not recognize the queen.
“The American gentleman was telling the queen where he came from, where they were going to next, and where they’d been to in Britain. And I could see it coming, and sure enough, he said to Her Majesty, ‘And where do you live?’”
“She said, ‘Well, I live in London. But I’ve got a holiday home just on the other side of the hills,’” he laughed.
Queen Elizabeth Left The Tourists With The Perfect Keepsake
The queen told the tourists that she’d been visiting the area since she was a little girl, “so over 80 years.”
One of the tourists replied, “Well if you’ve been coming up here for 80 years, you must’ve met the queen.”
“As quick as a flash, she says, ‘Well, I haven’t. But Dick here meets her regularly,’” he continued.
The man asked Richard what the queen was like, so he joined in the joke and said, “Oh, she can be very cantankerous at times. But she’s got a lovely sense of humor.”
Richard laughed as he said the man was impressed that Richard was friends with Queen Elizabeth, so he handed his camera to Elizabeth and asked her to take a picture of them together. To make the little prank better, Richard then offered to take a picture of them with Elizabeth.
“We never let on,” he continued before adding her best line. “And we waved goodbye. Then Her Majesty said to me, ‘I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photographs to the friends in America, and hopefully someone tells him who I am.”
