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

Stephen Falco
WISH-TV/YouTube

Indiana Church Doubles Down After Telling LGBTQ+ People To Kill Themselves Or Face Death Penalty

An Indiana Baptist church is under fire for telling LGBTQ+ people to kill themselves, just as Christ would have done.

Sure Foundation Baptist Church in Indianapolis caused an uproar after a sermon in which church member Stephen Falco recommended LGBTQ+ commit suicide—and if they don't, the Trump Administration should execute them.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot of KSAT ABC 12 news anchors  and Stephania Jimenez

Texas News Anchor Slams Noem And Abbott For Using Flood Press Conference To Praise Each Other

KSAT ABC 12 News anchor Stephania Jimenez called out the priorities of federal and state officials during disasters live on air on Saturday.

Jiminez spoke out after a fifth news conference that was supposed to be about the deadly flash flooding west of San Antonio began with yet another mutual admiration society performance by Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, and nearly everyone else behind the microphones.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Mike Johnson
Fox News Sunday

Mike Johnson Blasted After Claiming All Congress Can Do After Texas Floods Is 'Pray'

House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing angry criticism after he appeared on Fox News to remark on the deadly flooding in Texas that has killed hundreds, claiming that all Congress "knows to do at this moment is pray" in response to the disaster.

Speaking during the ongoing search and rescue operations, Johnson spoke as the people of Texas continue to raise mounting questions about the effectiveness of current warning systems and whether more could have been done in advance to prevent the loss of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Elon Musk
Omar Havana/Getty Images; Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Image

Trump Lashes Out After 'Train Wreck' Elon Musk Announces He's Creating New Political Party

President Donald Trump attacked his former ally Elon Musk in a post on Truth Social after the tech billionaire announced over the weekend that he's creating a new political party called the "America Party" amid their ongoing feud.

Musk has made clear that he vehemently opposes the president's One Big Beautiful Bill—and will work to unseat any Republicans who've supported it, saying they've "voted for the biggest debt increase in history." He founded the new political party on July 5, the day after Trump signed the legislation, which adds roughly $3.3 trillion to the national debt.

Keep ReadingShow less
Black and white photo of a server dressed in all black peering through a window.
Photo by Ian Taylor on Unsplash

Restaurant Servers Describe The Worst Dates They've Ever Witnessed

I have been a waiter on and off for many years.

The things I've seen!

Keep ReadingShow less