A sweet story from Former protection officer Richard Griffin has gone viral again, following the Queen’s death, aged 96, after he revealed how Her Majesty played a very cheeky joke on a group of American tourists that failed to recognise her
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Queen: Griffin recalls funny interaction with American tourists
Despite being one of the most recognisable people in the world, on occasion, the Queen could get away without being recognised. As Brits mourn Her Majesty, following her death yesterday at Balmoral castle, one of the monarch’s hilarious jokes has gone viral.
Former protection officer Richard Griffin once appeared on Sky News where he recounted what happened when two American tourists failed to recognise the Queen after they met her walking on her Scottish estate. While he had been out with for a stroll with the Monarch on the grounds of Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the pair came across two hikers.
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At the time, she was dressed down in tweeds and wearing a headscarf – so the duo didn’t recognise her, and assumed she was another visitor.
Recalling the event during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, he said: “There were two hikers coming towards us and the Queen would always stop and say hello. It was two Americans on a walking holiday and it was clear they hadn’t recognised her, which was fine.”
“The American man asked her if she lived in the area to which she replied that she did indeed have a house nearby.
“She said that she lived in London but had a house just over the hill, and he asked how often she had been coming up here.
“She said she’d been coming up for more than 80 years and you could see the cogs were ticking. He said: ‘Well if you’ve been coming up here for 80 years, you must have met the Queen?’
“As quick as a flash, she said ‘Well I haven’t but Dick here meets her regularly.’ So the guy asked me what she was like.
“And because I was with her a long time, I could pull her leg, so I said she could be very cantankerous at times, but she’s got a lovely sense of humour.
“Anyway the next thing I knew, this guy comes round, puts his arm around my shoulder, and before I could see what is happening, he gives his camera to the Queen and asks her to take a photo of us.
“Anyway, we swapped places, I took a photo of them with the Queen, we never let on and we waved goodbye. Then Her Majesty said to me that she’d love to be a fly on the wall when he shows these photos to his American friends and hopefully someone tells him who I am.”
TV presenter Dan Walker shared the video again, adding: “Watched this a few more times today. Former Royal protection officer Richard Griffin with the best memory of the Queen meeting some American tourists…”
Another added: “Watched this a few times now and makes me laugh as to what a great sense of humour she had.”
A third wrote: “It’s a lovely memory of her and shows what a fabulous sense of humour she has. Watching it it made me do that laugh that turns into tears and snot .”
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