Queen Elizabeth II became known for many things throughout her tenure on the British throne. In particular, the late monarch apparently had a wicked sense of humor and many of her quips have been documented by royal biographers. For instance, when a former courtier turned down the chance to visit Balmoral with The Queen, she had a fairly brutal response.
In his book, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. Her Story, royal expert and biographer Robert Hardman shared, “A senior courtier was invited for a weekend at Balmoral but had to explain that he was already hosting a house party at home.”
According to Hardman, Queen Elizabeth responded by saying, “Well, I won’t be asking you again.” Of course, most people would be horrified to be on the receiving end of such a comment from the literal monarch.
The biographer explained where Queen Elizabeth acquired her acerbic wit: “It was a dry, regal humor that she had inherited from her parents.”
Robert Hardman
‘Elizabeth II’
“It was a dry, regal humour that she had inherited from her parents.”
(Image credit: Tim Graham / Getty Images)
Hardman also noted that the late Queen “would not take herself too seriously.”
Per the royal biographer, “A close aide fondly remembered how, late in life, she had a fit of giggles trying (and failing) to help a butterfly out of the window of her study at Balmoral.”
He continued, “We need only look back to her Olympic appearance with James Bond in 2012 and her Paddington Bear Jubilee encounter in 2022 to realize how few, if any, world leaders would stoop to taking part in a comedy skit, let alone pull it off.”
Queen Elizabeth responded by saying, “Well, I won’t be asking you again.”
(Image credit: Getty)
It seems that Queen Elizabeth truly was one of a kind and that included her penchant for delivering decidedly brutal comebacks.
Robert Hardman
‘Queen of Our Times’
Robert Hardman
‘Her Majesty’
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