Can you guess who the Queen liked to mock? Royal author claims monarch had 'extremely funny' sense of humour behind the stern look - and was a 'first-class mimic'
This is according to Ingrid Seward, one of the most respected royal biographers who has spent 40 years following The Firm.
Seward, 77, wrote in her 2023 book, My Mother And I: 'The Queen's stern look, inherited from her grandmother Queen Mary, belies the wonderful sense of humour we got to see more and more as she got older.
'The Queen could be extremely funny, in a slightly mocking way.
'She was also a first-class mimic, particularly of politicians, but never to anyone's face. She could only laugh or state her opinions in private, and some of them were pretty forceful.
'She also liked hearing a bit of gossip, so her immediate staff saved all the chit-chat for her about what was going on in every corner of her various homes.
'She saw everything but turned a blind eye to small misdemeanours and and disasters. She was the same with her friends.'
Perhaps one of the best-positioned people to comment on the Queen's sense of humour is royal biographer and podcaster Gyles Brandreth first met the Queen in 1968, when he was 20.
Over the next 50 years he met her many times, both at public and at private events
In an interview with Yours magazine he said: 'She once performed George Formby's When I'm Cleaning Windows for me, while strumming an imaginary ukulele!
'She was an incredible mimic and told me she'd been inspired by famous female impersonator Florence Desmond, who came to Windsor Castle to entertain the Royal family during the war.
'The Queen could do all kinds of regional accents.'
Even the Queen's dressmaker, Angela Kelly, was reportedly was blown away by the Queen's ability to copy her scouse accent.
Angela told The Sun: 'We have a lot of fun together. The Queen has a wicked sense of humor and is a great mimic. She can do all accents—including mine.'
Brandreth wrote in Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, that this instinctive and self‑deprecating wit was as important a part of the Queen's personality as the clothes she wore and the smile that lit up her face.
Nothing could better demonstrate this than the age-old tale of when the Queen watched a video of herself and called out to her husband: 'Oh Philip, do look! I've got my Miss Piggy face on.'
Perhaps one of the best-positioned people to comment on the Queen's sense of humour is royal biographer and podcaster Gyles Brandreth first met the Queen in 1968, when he was 20
A few years after the late Queen was presented with a birthday card signed by staff in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace and pictured Miss Piggy.
'I thought: "Well, she can't sack us all,"' said palace coachman Alfred Oates, who worked for the Queen for 57 years.
'But there she was, as the crowds could see, laughing the whole way round.'
And perhaps nothing was more central to that than her ability not just to make a joke, but to take a joke, too.
The Daily Mail's Richard Kay wrote that for years, the Queen's ability to say nothing, while speaking volumes, was undoubtedly one of her greatest strengths.
When a government minister's mobile phone rang, in contravention of the rules, as she took a meeting of the Privy Council, she said: 'I hope that wasn't someone important.'
The editor of Majesty magazine shared the story of when at a Windsor Castle house party, the Countess of Sutherland found she was wearing the same outfit as the Queen.
The Queen reportedly said, 'And guess who is going to have to change!', before disappearing upstairs and returning in a different dress.
Seward added: 'It is a story she enjoyed telling all her life - with certain embellishments.'
While the Queen could sometimes appear stern on duty, Sally Bedell Smith, author of Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch, revealed in 2021 that she was much livelier' in person, and made self-depreciating jokes showing she didn't take herself too seriously.
Ingrid Seward even went as far to suggest that the Queen's sense of humour was the secret to her and Philip's long and happy marriage.
'I think the secret is they laugh together. I think the Queen is the comedian,' she said.
ELIZABETH II'S BEST ROYAL GAGS
TEA WITH PADDINGTON BEAR
In the final months of her life, Her Majesty delighted audiences at the televised BBC's Platinum Party at the Palace after kicking off the festivities with an appearance alongside the fictional character Paddington Bear - in which they both enjoyed a chaotic cream tea at 'Buckingham Palace '.
Paddington and the Queen were pictured sat opposite each other in ornate chair at a table, laid for afternoon tea, covered with a white linen cloth in an opulent room.
Accident-prone Paddington was shown causing mayhem by accidentally depriving the understanding sovereign of another cup of tea and spraying cream from a chocolate éclair over a Palace Footman.
The Queen's secret sketch was the result of months of planning, and saw the duffle-coat wearing bear show the monarch how he ensured he always had his favourite treat on him just in case, lifting up his red hat to reveal his snack.
Her Majesty responded by revealing 'So do I' before opening her bag and declaring 'I keep mine in here' to show her very own ready-made supply of the bread and orange preserve staple.
The bear from deepest darkest Peru congratulated the Queen on her reign of 70 years, saying: 'Happy Jubilee Ma'am. And thank you. For everything.' The modest Queen replied: 'That's very kind.'
Filmed at Windsor Castle, the Queen spent around half a day filming the secretly-pre-recorded humorous two-and-a-half-minute sequence, according to The Telegraph, and the comic sketch was a surprise even to some of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren watching the scenes.
ELIZABETH 007
The Queen showed the world she was still full of surprises in 2012 when she agreed to take part in a comedy stint to open the London Olympics.
A clip played during the ceremony showed the Queen, then 86-years-old, being picked up at Buckingham Palace by Daniel Craig, playing James Bond, and then being 'parachuted' in the stadium for the opening ceremony.
The recorded sequence opened at Buckingham Palace, where a tuxedo-wearing Craig as 007 was presented to the Queen by her personal footman as she was writing a letter and training her corgis Monty, Willow and Holly to roll over.
After greeting the fictitious spy with an 'Evening, Mr Bond,' the Queen, wearing a glitzy pink dress, was escorted out of the Palace onto a helicopter by Craig.
At the time, Danny Boyle, who directed the short clip, said: 'The Queen made herself more accessible than ever before.'
It was her first ever film role, and it was a comedy hit, proving the elderly Monarch had a great sense of humour.
To this day, the clip, which is available on Youtube, has been watched more than 51 million times across the globe.
QUEEN OF ONE-LINERS
At the 2021 G7 Summit in Cornwall, the 95-year-old was dancing circles around World leaders, showcasing her wit and her good humour.
As she posed for pictures with the likes of Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Monarch was heard saying: 'Are you supposed to be looking as if you're enjoying yourselves?' which provoked laughter around her.
It was her first major public event together since the funeral of Prince Philip, the queen's husband of more than seven decades, which made the joke even more poignant.
'THIS IS MORE UNUSUAL'
Also during the Cornwall G7, the Queen showed she had lost nothing of her panache when cutting a cake with a ceremonial sword with her daughter-in-law the Duchess of Cornwall and her grandson Prince William's wife Kate Middleton.
She had been presented with a giant cake in Cornwall to celebrate her official birthday and was given the sword to cut it.
When a helpful aid told her 'there is a knife if you want it,' the Queen replied: 'I know there is, but this is more unusual,' leaving her audience in stitches.
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