The Queen reportedly has a favourite question that she asks to ‘catch people out’

A royal expert has commented on Her Majesty’s more mischievous side

We love finding out what the royal family is like behind the scenes, from Prince William’s messy takeaway habit to Princess Charlotte’s favourite song. 

As celebrations begin for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, a royal expert has spoken out about the playful side of Her Majesty’s character. 

Apparently, she has a “favourite question” she likes to “catch people out” with during public engagements. In an interview with the Express, royal historian Hugo Vickers described noticing this endearing trait while helping the Queen plan previous jubilees. 

He said: “She hears everything, sees everything. She is completely on the ball. And she quite enjoys catching people out. I think she and Prince Philip enjoyed that enormously.

“One of her favourite questions, which she asks with good theatrical timing, is ‘Are you sure?’ – well, you’d better be’.”

Hugo also described Her Majesty’s exceptional social skills, and the way she moves seamlessly from one person to next while recalling remarkable anecdotes. 

“When she says these things, when she answers these questions, she’s very often moving on to the next person,” he said. “She’s got a very good memory. You can’t catch her out. Her random access to facts and anecdotes and stories and things is quite extraordinary.”

The royal historian added that he hasn’t seen or talked to her for about three years: “I haven’t even seen her since that Commonwealth observance — that famous one with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The last time I saw her.”

The public got a glimpse of the Queen’s sassy side just last week, when a video captured her interacting with her dog. “And where did you come from? I know what you want,” she said knowingly, as the cheeky dorgi interrupted her memorabilia viewing. 

With an exciting lineup of events planned to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, we hope we get to see more of the Queen’s lighthearted side coming out this year.