The British are known for keeping a “stiff upper lip,” and Queen Elizabeth II was no exception. But those who were close to the queen knew that she had a great sense of humour underneath her serene and stoic public image.
Throughout her long life, there have been many times when she let down her guard, so to speak, whether that be delighting at animals or cracking jokes with world leaders.
In honour of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and Canada’s longest-serving head of state, we remember some of the sweetest and funniest moments in the extraordinary life of Queen Elizabeth II.
A corgi lover for life
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II offers a toast to U.S. President George W. Bush and those gathered in the State Dining Room during a formal white-tie state dinner at the White House May 7, 2007, in Washington, D.C.
Martin H. Simon-Pool/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth wasn’t about to let then-President George W. Bush off the hook when he hilariously misspoke during a toast at the White House.
In 2007, at a welcome ceremony for the queen, Bush mistakenly said that Elizabeth had celebrated the U.S. bicentennial in 1776, when he should have said 1976. The mix-up meant Bush had added 200 years to Queen Elizabeth’s age.
Bush said of the incident, “She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child.”
Two days later, the queen saw her chance to get the former president back. At a dinner hosted by the British ambassador, Elizabeth joked, “I wondered whether I should start this toast by saying, ‘When I was here in 1776 …’”
“Your Majesty, I can’t top that one,” Bush responded in his toast.
The iconic cow video
This hilarious video when viral in 2018, showing the queen’s excited reaction to seeing a herd of cows being paraded as part of her 90th birthday celebration. She points to the animals and blurts out “cows” to her husband Prince Philip.
Queen Elizabeth was quite the fan of cows, as she was with all animals, and bred the livestock herself. She kept the largest herd of Sussex cows in the world at Windsor castle.
