.png)
Following the tragic death of Queen Elizabeth II this evening, the monarch is being remembered for her incredible sense of humour.
Having carried out more than 21,000 engagements and visiting over 100 countries during her 70-year reign, the Queen was also noted for her sharp wit and we're here to highlight some of her best moments.
The Queen herself has been the subject of jokes herself, one of which was revealed by Angela Kelly, her trusted dresser, in her book The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe.
Advert
Kelly revealed how a prank took place on April Fools’ Day during a tour of Australia in 2006, when she put a stuffed toy version of a kookaburra into a cage on a balcony.
She convinced the Queen the little animal was real, but it had died. Once the truth had been unveiled, the Queen is said to have quipped: "You’re sacked."
Another example of the Queen's humour came in 2018, when the Queen appeared alongside another national treasure, Sir David Attenborough, in an environmental documentary called The Queen's Green Planet.
Advert
The project was commissioned to celebrate the Commonwealth environmental project, The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, to encourage the planting of more trees to create forests around the world. And who better than the head of state herself to discuss the project with Attenborough.
The pair instantly hit it off and shared a flurry of hilarious comments between them as they strolled through the gardens of Buckingham Palace. When their walk was interrupted by the noise of a large aircraft overhead, the Queen joked: "Sounds like President Trump, or President Obama".
As royalists are likely aware, Lizzie was also a keen driver who was often pictured behind the wheel of a range rover from her fleet.
Advert
Last month, a royal insider told Mail Plus that the Queen had created the most savage moniker for her GPS.
"A few years ago, she started calling her 'the woman under the bonnet'. It was very funny. Of course she knows very well where the voice comes from," the insider said.
"But Her Majesty is very sharp. She has a brilliant sense of humour and a very quick wit.
"It always tickles people to hear her remark 'it’s the woman under the bonnet again' when she hears her voice."
Although the Queen had to pull out of events celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year due to her declining health, she delighted the nation with a surprise cameo in an adorable clip with the one and only Paddington Bear.
Advert
Her acting chops wowed viewers as she sat at a table with the animated bear, voiced by Ben Whishaw, to enjoy some tea. The bear asks his companion: “Perhaps you would like a marmalade sandwich? I always keep one for emergencies.” He then retrieved a sandwich from inside his iconic red hat and shows it to Liz, who replies with a smile: “So do I – I keep mine in here.”
She then pulls her own marmalade sandwich from her handbag, adding: “For later.”
And who could forget when a decade ago, during the London 2012 Olympics, the Queen starred opposite Daniel Craig as James Bond in an unexpected skit.
Advert
Seeing the head of the Commonwealth trade lines with with 007 as the secret agent escorts the queen to the London Olympic Stadium in Stratford, is a joke itself. However, in an April episode of BBC Radio Four’s show The Reunion, host Kirsty Wark discussed how the show stopping moment came together with the production team.
It turns out the queen kept her cameo a secret, adding to the hilarity of the moment once it aired.
“The queen never told her family she was doing it,” production stage manager Sam Hunter said. “That was one of the stipulations when she agreed to be part of it.”
“So if you actually see when she comes and she takes her seat, you can see her family go, ‘Ah, nice one.’”
In what may be the greatest surprise ever pulled of, Craig also recounted a ‘very funny’ joke the Queen told him in private.
In an interview with The Late Show in February, spilled: “We were having our photograph taken and she just went. ‘Oh no, he’s the one that doesn’t smile.’”
There's absolutely no doubt that Her Majesty will be sorely missed and her legacy across the world will never be forgotten.
Featured Image Credit: ShutterstockTopics: News, Royal Family, The Queen