For all of the pomp and majesty surrounding her long life, Queen Elizabeth II had a keen wit and a wonderful sense of humor. Since her life was so carefully choreographed, these qualities tended to be seen by those who were closest to her.

One such occasion happened when the Queen was walking around the grounds of Balmoral Castle with Royal Protection Officer Richard Griffin. She noticed two American hikers approaching and made a point of stopping to say hello. It soon became evident that the tourists did not recognize Her Majesty.

One of the Americans asked the Queen where she lived. She said, “Well I live in London, but I’ve got a holiday home just on the other side of the hills.” The tourist asked, “How often have you been coming up here?” The Queen answered that she had been coming up to Balmoral Castle for over 80 years.

The tourist asked, “Have you met the Queen?”

Griffin watched expectantly, wondering how his employer would respond. To his surprise, she answered, “Well, I haven’t, but Dick here meets her regularly,” and motioned toward her bodyguard.

The hiker then turned to Griffin and asked, “Oh, you’ve met the Queen? What’s she like?”

Griffin, knowing how much the Queen enjoyed a good laugh, went along with the joke. He answered, “Oh, she can be very cantankerous at times, but she’s got a lovely sense of humor.”

The tourist asked if he could get a picture with Griffin so he could tell people that he met someone who knows the Queen. He put his arm around Griffin’s shoulder and handed his camera to the Queen, and asked if she wouldn’t mind taking the photo. Griffin then suggested that he take the camera and snap a picture of the tourist with the still-unrecognized Queen.

After they said their goodbyes to the tourists, the Queen said to Griffin, “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photographs to their friends in America — and hopefully someone tells him who I am.”

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