![\"Queen](\"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Queen_Elizabeth_II_Laughing.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A funny and true story about the Queen:
\nAround 2005, the Queen and her Personal Protection Officer, Dick Griffin, were walking alone one afternoon in the hills near the Scottish royal castle, Balmoral.<\/p>\n
Two tourists approached them, and engaged in conversation. Griffin recalls:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were two hikers coming towards us, and the Queen would always stop and say hello.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were two Americans on a walking holiday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was clear from the moment we stopped that they hadn\u2019t recognised the Queen, which was fine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe American gentleman was telling the Queen where they came from, where they were going next, and where they\u2019d been in Britain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could see it coming, and sure enough, he said to Her Majesty: \u2019And where do you live?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cShe replied: \u2019Well I live in London, but I\u2019ve got a holiday home just the other side of the hills.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said: \u2019How long have you been coming up here?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cShe replied: \u2019I\u2019ve been coming up here ever since I was a little girl, so over 80 years.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could see the cogs whirring, so he said: \u2019Well, if you\u2019ve been coming up here for over 80 years, you must have met the Queen.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cQuick as a flash, she said: \u2019I haven\u2019t, but Dick here meets her regularly.\u2019<\/p>\n
The hiker then asked Griffin what the monarch was like in person.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was with her a long time, and I knew I could pull her leg, I said: \u2019Oh, she can be very cantankerous at times, but she\u2019s got a lovely sense of humour.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next thing I knew, this guy comes round, puts his arm around my shoulder, and before I could see what was happening, he gets his camera, GIVES IT TO THE QUEEN, and says: \u2019Can you take a picture of the two of us?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we swapped places, and I TOOK A PICTURE OF THEM WITH THE QUEEN.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we never let on, and we waved goodbye.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfterwards, Her Majesty said to me: \u2019I\u2019d love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photographs to his friends in America, and hopefully someone tells him who I am\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
RIP, Your Majesty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A funny and true story about the Queen: Around 2005, the Queen and her Personal Protection Officer, Dick Griffin, were walking alone one afternoon in the hills near the Scottish royal castle, Balmoral. Two tourists approached them, and engaged in conversation. Griffin recalls: \u201cThere were two hikers coming towards us, and the Queen would always … <\/p>\n