Queen pranks American tourists who failed to recognize her, tells them she's 'never met the Queen'
The Queen has once again proved that she has a great sense of humor!
Queen Elizabeth was taking a stroll in the grounds of Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, accompanied by protection officer Richard Griffin. Since the 93-year-old monarch was not within the confines of Buckingham Palace or the several other royal castles, she decided to dress down.
Instead of donning an expensive gown fitted with priceless gems and jewels, she put on tweeds, Wellington boots and a headscarf as part of her low-key look which is common for the monarch when she stays at Balmoral.
Looking very much like a commoner, the Queen chanced upon a group of tourists from the United States. Without the usual grandeur and fleet of guards marching by her side, none of the foreigners were able to recognize the longest-surviving head of British monarchy, the Mirror reported.
In a rare occasion, the tourists struck up a conversation with the Queen, asking her if she lived in the area. Instead of taking offense at the lack of recognition or informing them of who she was, the Queen decided to pull a silent prank on them.
Careful not to lie or reveal too much, she cleverly replied that she did own a house nearby.
The private joke did not end there as, after that, the tourists asked her if she had ever met the Queen. The monarch again managed to evade the question by gesturing toward officer Griffin and saying, "No, but this policeman has."
Griffin, who had worked for the monarchy for 30 years, said that, after a brief conversation with the Queen, the group of tourists moved on from the area, remaining oblivious to the real identity of woman they talked to.
In the past, royal biographer Robert Hardman said that the Queen purposefully chose to dress in eye-catching colors when she was attending to her duties as a monarch. However, when she is on a break and away from the public eye, more often than not, she opted for pared-back clothes and wellies.
The Queen has admitted that she tended to avoid neutral shades when it came to picking out clothes for important occasions. "My favorite remark she ever said was: 'I can't ever wear beige because nobody will know who I am,'" Hardman wrote in his 2011 biography 'Our Queen'.
