Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Bodyguard's Story About The Queen's Interaction With American Tourists Who Didn't Recognize Her Is Everything

Bodyguard's Story About The Queen's Interaction With American Tourists Who Didn't Recognize Her Is Everything
Sky News; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

The news of Queen Elizabeth II's death on Thursday shook the entire world.

While global reactions are tempered by the aftermath of colonialism and lasting effects of imperialism, as well as opinions on the monarchy across the remains of the Commonwealth including Britain, many critics still mourn the woman behind the crown.


In the wake of the news, many shared their stories of Britain's longest reigning monarch giving an insight into her character.

One story in particular sheds light on the Queen's humor and lightheartedness.

In a video shared by David Mack (@davidmackau) on Twitter, Queen Elizabeth II's former bodyguard Richard Griffin recounts a story about two American tourists who didn't recognize the Queen.

You can watch the video below:

Griffin tells the story of a time when he and the Queen were on a picnic in Scotland and encountered two American tourists. He stated they rarely met others at the site, but when they did the Queen would always stop to say hello.

Griffin recalls:

"...it was two Americans on a walking holiday, and it was clear from the moment we first stopped that they hadn't recognized the Queen, which is fine."
"And the American gentleman was telling the Queen where he came from, where they were going to next, and where they'd been to in Britain."

Griffin then begins to chuckle in the video:

"And I could see it coming, and sure enough, he said to the majesty, 'And where do you live?'"

According to Griffin, the Queen then responded:

"Well I live in London, but I've got a holiday home just the other side of the hills."

The tourists continued:

"Well how often have you been coming up here?"

Griffin recounted that the Queen then said:

"Oh, I've been coming up here ever since I was a little girl, so over 80 years."

To which one of the tourists replied:

"Well, if you've been coming up here for 80 years, then you must've met the Queen."

"Quick as a flash" as Griffin recalled, the Queen responded referring to Griffin by his nickname:

"Well I haven't, but Dickie here meets her regularly."

Then the tourists became even more curious, shifting their attention back to Griffin.

They were intrigued and asked Griffin what the Queen was like.

Griffin said because he was with the Queen for a long time and knew he could pull her leg, he answered:

"Oh, she can be very cantankerous at times, but she's got a lovely sense of humor."

Griffin said the next thing he knew, one of the men comes to him, puts his arm around his shoulder, gives his camera to the Queen, and asked if she would take a picture of the three.

Griffin eventually swapped places with the Queen and took some pictures of the tourists with her without ever letting on.

He said that they all waved goodbye at which point the Queen turned to Griffin and said:

"I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photographs to friends in America, and hopefully someone tells them who I am."

The video garnered reactions from Twitter.








Although the news of Queen Elizabeth II's passing is somber and sorrowful for many, it's uplifting to learn of her humor and wit through stories such as these.

More from Trending

Screenshots from Ever After Unplugged's TikTok
@everafterunplugged/TikTok

Bride's Random Encounter With Late Dad's Friends During Her Bridal Shower Has TikTok Sobbing

When a person loses a parent earlier in their life than expected, one concern they may have is not having their parent around for the special moments: their graduation, the birth of their first child, and of course, their wedding day.

But every once in a while, even when someone we love is gone, we might get the feeling of them still being there with us.

Keep ReadingShow less
Person holding wad of US cash
AppleJacks70/Unsplash

People Break Down The Best $50 They Ever 'Wasted'

If you had money to burn, you wouldn't hesitate to purchase a variety of goods and services you don't need but you want, just because you can.

For those who don't have that luxury, they are cautious with their spending habits.

Keep ReadingShow less
Someone making a purchase with a credit card
person putting magstripe card near black card terminal
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

People Explain Which Expensive Purchases Are Totally Worth The Price

Every now and then, we find ourselves with the urge to splurge.

Spending a large amount of money, sometimes more than we can afford on a vacation, on a fancy dinner, or an outfit we know we will wear exactly once.

Keep ReadingShow less
Paul Simon
@CBSMornings/YouTube

Paul Simon Reveals Classic Song He Can No Longer Perform Live Due To Dramatic Hearing Loss

Paul Simon shared with CBS Morning News that his hearing loss has made some songs, like “You Can Call Me Al,” too challenging to perform live.

Half of the legendary Simon and Garfunkel and a wildly successful solo singer-songwriter, Simon, now 83, said:

Keep ReadingShow less
(L) Fred Asquith; (M) Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande; (R) Teary Fred Asquith
@fredasquith/X, West/PA Images via Getty Images

Cynthia Erivo And Ariana Grande React To Skeptical 'Wicked' Moviegoer's Before And After Video

Wickedstars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande responded after watching a video featuring a curmudgeonly moviegoer being dragged to see the film adaptation of the smash Broadway musical.

However, at the end of the movie, as the credits rolled, our grumpy skeptic appeared to have changed for good.

Keep ReadingShow less