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

Screenshot of Pete Buttigieg; Donald Trump
@Acyn/X; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Pete Buttigieg Explains Why Trump's AI Jesus Post Was So Offensive To Christian Conservatives In Viral Video

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg condemned President Donald Trump for posting an AI-generated post depicting himself as Jesus Christ, describing it as "insulting" to both people's faith and their intelligence.

Earlier this month, the Pope criticized Trump's widely unpopular war in Iran and called on the world "to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and is not resolving anything."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
@atrupar/X

Trump Dragged After Gushing Over His Own Signature In Ultra-Cringey Viral Clip

President Donald Trump was super proud of himself after he signed an executive order to make certain psychedelic drugs more available to treat mental health conditions, taking an opportunity to boast about his own signature.

Trump's order approves $50 million in federal funding to expand access to certain therapies and directed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fast-track its review of drugs like psilocybin and ibogaine. He was joined by the likes of podcaster Joe Rogan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Oval Office.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charlize Theron (left) responds to Timothée Chalamet’s (right) controversial comments about ballet and opera.
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

Charlize Theron Gives Timothée Chalamet A Blunt Reality Check About His Future After His Comments Insulting Ballet

Timothée Chalamet declaring that “no one cares” about ballet and opera was always going to age poorly. It just happened faster than expected.

Enter Charlize Theron, who didn’t just disagree—she flipped the whole argument, suggesting that while centuries-old art forms will endure, Chalamet’s own career may be far more vulnerable in the age of artificial intelligence.

Keep ReadingShow less
Caitlyn Jenner; Donald Trump
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Caitlyn Jenner Slammed For Hypocrisy After Revealing That She Asked Trump To Fix Gender On Her Passport So She Can Travel Again

Former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner recently revealed she can no longer travel internationally after the Trump administration's new passport policy required her to be marked as "male," and is receiving backlash for writing a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to get it changed.

Jenner, a transgender woman, has long aligned herself with the MAGA movement, which is diametrically opposed to LGBTQ+ equality and has led an attack against transgender rights that culminated in legislation banning or restricting gender-affirming care in GOP-led legislatures in more than half the country.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @oz11201's TikTok video
@oz11201/TikTok

Hero Oklahoma Principal Crowned Prom King In Emotional Viral Video After Tackling Would-Be School Shooter

On April 7, Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma was breached by twenty-year-old Victor Hawkins, a former student who showed up at the school armed with a gun.

Fortunately, upon his entry into the school, Principal Kirk Moore did not hesitate to full-body tackle him and disarm him, keeping him down until authorities arrived, all while sustaining a shot to the leg.

Keep ReadingShow less