The Queen hilariously tricked a group of tourists into thinking she was someone else on a country walk at Balmoral
We knew that the monarch had a royally good sense of humour.
We knew that the monarch had a royally good sense of humour.
She's one of the most recognisable people in the world, but the Queen just proved that even she can fly under the radar from time to time.
The monarch, who traditionally spends August on the Balmoral Estate, is known to swap out her go-to attire of lime green and pearls for a decidedly more lowkey affair while walking her dogs and spending time with her family in Scotland.
So good, in fact, is the Queen at disguising herself while out and about on country walks, that she once tricked a group of unsuspecting tourists into thinking that she was somebody else entirely.
Speaking to The Times, her former royal protection officer Richard Griffin revealed the hilarious response the monarch gave to a group of American tourists who failed to recognise her while visiting the Balmoral Estate.
When the group asked if she lived in the area, the Queen replied (albeit, truthfully) that she had a house nearby. When, however, they asked if she had ever met the Queen, Her Majesty's answer was a perfect example of her famous sense of humour.
"No, but this policeman has," she told the tourists, pointing to Griffin. The group then left, still with no idea of who they had just spoken to. Genius.
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Of course, this isn't the first time that the Queen has displayed her royally good wit. From her hilarious comment on meeting newborn Prince William for the first time, to penning comedic letters to her royal staff members' dogs from her corgis, it's clear that the Royal Family's reputation for having a stiff upper lip hasn't deterred the Queen from displaying her signature sense of humour.
The monarch is expected to spend the next few months at Balmoral Castle – a favourite residence of her late husband Prince Philip – before returning to England in the autumn. With the weather set to improve in the coming weeks, who knows, maybe another tour group will get to hear a royal joke or two on their travels.
Kate McCusker is a freelance writer at Marie Claire UK, having joined the team in 2019. She studied fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins, and her byline has also appeared in Dezeen, British Vogue, The Times and woman&home. In no particular order, her big loves are: design, good fiction, bad reality shows and the risible interiors of celebrity houses.