Queen Elizabeth II was known for her cheeky sense of humour. From her adorable sketch with Paddington to her hilarious one-liners, the late monarch earned herself quite the reputation.
But fans will be delighted to learn she was just as playful away from the cameras. One particular trick, which regularly goes viral, might just be the best royal prank of all time. As her former protection officer Richard Griffin recalled, two American tourists once failed to recognise the Queen during a stroll around her Scottish estate.
Spotting a chance to have some fun, she played along with what is now a fabled exchange.
You see, the hikers did not recognise the Queen, as she was dressed down in tweed and covered by her headscarf. The pair did, however, enjoy a royally funny conversation with the monarch they were keen to learn about.
Mr Griffin told Sky News: "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."
Understandably, the story has since been shared countless times. Responding to the sweet anecdote when it went viral during last year's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, one fan said: "On a weekend of Queen anecdotes, this won't be matched. Just lovely."
Another wrote: "Wouldn't it be great if they tracked these hikers down and had them meet the Queen again."
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