Former Royal Bodyguard Richard Griffin remembers a time when two Americans thought the Queen was someone else (Photo: Sky News / Getty)
A former royal defense officer recounted the moment the queen ran into two American tourists who somehow did not recognize her.
Richard Griffin had accompanied the monarch on a picnic in Balmoral when they met the couple on a walk.
“The queen always stopped and said hello” was clear from the moment we stopped for the first time, they didn’t know [her]He told Sky News.
The American began to tell the king about his plans for the holiday and what he hoped the couple would do next before asking her where she lived.
Mr Griffin recalled: “She said, ‘Well, I live in London, but I have a holiday home on the other side of the hills.’
The tourist then asked the queen how long she had been visiting the area and she replied that she had been doing it for “over 80 years since [she] she was a little girl. “
“Well, if you’re 80, have you met the queen?” He had asked, but no one was wiser.
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Quick as lightning, the queen admitted she wasn’t, but added, “Dickie meets her here regularly.” This prompted the passenger to turn to Mr. Griffin, eager for an answer.
“She can be very jumpy at times, but she has a great sense of humor,” Mr Griffin said.
Still ignoring the fact that he was in the presence of royalty, the tourist threw his arm around the bodyguard and put his camera in the queen’s hand, asking if he minded taking a picture of him.
The queen pledged before she and her bodyguards waved goodbye to the Americans.
After the tourists were not heard, she turned to Mr. Griffin and said: “I would like to be a fly on the wall when he shows these photos to friends in America. I hope someone tells him who I am.
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