Queen’s Cheeky Yet Graceful Responses to Issues during Silver Jubilee & Other Odd Cases

You do not often find a royal event that does not go as planned. Here is a glimpse into how the Queen humorously responded to the hiccups during the Silver Jubilee and her funny interactions with tourists, Michelle Obama, and more.

In 1977, Queen Elizabeth II was only 51 years old and had already served 25 years on the throne. Therefore, the Silver Jubilee was the quarter-century anniversary and celebrated the Queen's accession to the throne.

Major Sir Michael Parker, who has organized multiple royal events, planned the "Queens Bonfire." Her Majesty was supposed to light the first beacon at Windsor Great Park, using the 1948 London Olympic torch, and ignite a chain of beacons stretching to the length of Britain.

However, this thoughtful commemoration was not as smooth sailing as Sir Michael had anticipated. Firstly, the Royal family was late, so Parker politely nudged the Queen and said, "Ma'am, it might be a good idea if we got a bit of a move on."

In more unfortunate events, Sir Michael realized that the beacon was not lit and the officials were struggling to get it relit; thus, he went back to the Queen and said, "It might be a good idea if we were to slow down a bit," to which Her Royal Highness responded,

"Do make up your mind!"

Sadly, that was not the end of Parker's problems. The bonfire gathering at Windsor Great Park was televised in Britain and worldwide, but the screen failed to produce sound. One can only imagine what Sir Michael felt when he admitted: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's all going terribly wrong," to which the Queen sarcastically replied: "Oh good. What fun!".

Another of Sir Michael's grand ideas was for the Golden Jubilee, which marked 50 years of the Queen's accession to the throne. This time, Sir Parker wanted to create an equine pageant at Windsor Great Park featuring 1,000 horses, inspired by the film "My Fair Lady."

The First Lady was somewhat surprised to see how calm and nonchalant Her Royal highness was about the strict protocols.

He then asked the Queen's racing manager, John Warren, for "a couple of not too excitable racehorses." As a horse lover, Her Majesty was not too impressed with Sir Michael's request. When Parker met Her Royal highness at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, she told him,

"I hear you want to borrow two of my slow racehorses. I do not have any slow racehorses!"

IMPORTANT TIP: DO NOT TELL THE QUEEN TO REMOVE HER CROWN

Queen Elizabeth II has done a spectacular job abiding by the royal protocol and behavior, but that does not mean she will not call out anything she deems as an unsatisfactory remark. In a video from the 2007 documentary, "A Year With The Queen," the famous photographer Anni Leibovitz said to the Queen:

"I think it would be better without the Crown. I heard you do your own hair and make-up, which I believe is so amazing. Can we try it without the Crown? It will look better and less dressy because the garter robe is so sparkly."

Her Majesty did not appreciate the fashion advice; she replied, "Less dressy? What do you think this is?" Leibovitz tried to explain her creative direction, but that did not improve the situation because the Queen refused to remove her Crown. The following clip shows the monarch walking out of the room, saying:

"I am not changing anything. I have done enough dressing like this, thank you very much."

WHAT DOES THE QUEEN THINK ABOUT THE ROYAL PROTOCOLS?

Meeting The Queen can be quite a nerve-wracking experience. The former US First Lady, Michelle Obama, shared the story of her interaction with Her Majesty and Prince Philip during a presidential visit with her husband Barack at Windsor Castle on April 22, 2016. Michelle admitted she was very nervous and could only think about getting everything right. She said:

"I had all this protocol buzzing in my head, and I was like 'don't trip down the stairs and don't touch anybody, whatever you do',"

The First Lady was somewhat surprised to see how calm and nonchalant Her Royal Highness was about the strict protocols. She said the Queen told her to sit wherever and that these strict protocols were all "rubbish."

HER MAJESTY'S CHEEKY RESPONSE WHEN ASKED IF SHE NEEDS HELP PLANTING A TREE

Trees are a crucial aspect of preserving Earth's life, and Queen Elizabeth II is passionate about planting them. While touring Cambridge and attending the official opening of Britain's leading lung and heart hospital, Royal Papworth Hospital, Her Royal Highness decided first to visit the National Agricultural Botany to look at the exhibition celebrating 100 years of crop research.

The Queen was asked to plant a tree to commemorate the special occasion. The organization's chairman, Jim Godfrey, offered to help the 94-year-old out of goodwill. However, Her Majesty did not let her age nor the bright pink outfit stop her from simply responding,

"No, no, I am still perfectly capable of planting a tree!"

THE QUEEN FIRES BACK AT HER MOTHER DURING AN ARGUMENT OVER THE PHONE

Family misunderstandings are prevalent even for the royals. Queen Elizabeth II and her mother, Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, were caught having a heated argument over the phone at a West End opening.

But it came as a surprise to many that the Queen was intrigued by the idea of the sketch.

The 2002 report by The Guardian indicated that the altercation between Her Royal Highness and the Queen's mother was serious; even though there is no information on the argument, Her Majesty did not hold back with her clap. The report reads: "The elder was heard to demand, sotto voce, 'Who do you think you are?'"

THE QUEEN'S REACTION TO THE IDEA OF A JAMES BOND SPEAKING ROLE

In the prerecorded sketch, Her Majesty was joined by Daniel Craig, also famously known for his acting role as James Bond. The two entered the London Olympics in 2012 by dropping into the stadium with a parachute.

The sketch shows Bond fetching the monarch at Buckingham Palace, who greets him with the fan-favorite line, "Good evening, Mr. Bond."

But it came as a surprise to many that the Queen was intrigued by the idea of the sketch. Her Majesty's dresser, Angela Kelly, pitched the idea of her speaking the part, and she met it with no hesitation, saying,

"Of course, I must say something. After all, he is coming to rescue me!"

THE QUEEN GOES INCOGNITO

One might think the Queen of England can't go unrecognized; after all, she is the most famous person in the world. Her former protection officer Richard Griffin remembered when the monarch was approached by American tourists near her Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire.

When the tourists asked if she lived nearby, Griffin told The Times that the Queen had a scarf and tweed coat. Her Royal Highness humbly responded that she had a house "close by."

Still not noticing who they were speaking to, the group asked, "Have you ever met the Queen?" As amusing as that question might have been to the monarch, she also had a humorous reply, "No," she said. "But he has," pointing at her protection officer.