The following story is told by a former bodyguard of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning sovereign in Great Britain’s history, who passed away in 2022. This showed the humorous side of a very proper and austere lady who took her role as England’s monarch quite seriously. The story, recounted to Sky News during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee last June, is as follows.[i]

Richard Griffin, also known as Dick, served as the queen’s royal protection officer. He once accompanied the queen when she was walking in the hills outside of Balmoral when two American tourists on vacation reportedly approached her.

One hiker – not aware of who he was speaking to – asked the queen where she lived. She replied that she lived in London and said she had a holiday home nearby, but did not specify that she was referring to Balmoral.

The hiker then asked her if she had ever met the queen.

“I haven’t, but Dick here meets her regularly,” Elizabeth reportedly said. The hiker immediately turned his attention to the bodyguard and asked him what the monarch was like in person.

“I was with her a long time and I knew I could pull her leg,” Griffin said. “I said, ‘Oh, she can be very cantankerous at times, but she’s got a lovely sense of humor.’”

Overjoyed, the hiker unwittingly asked the queen if she could take his picture with Griffin. 

“Before I could see what was happening, he gets his camera and gives it to the queen and says, ‘Can you take a picture of us?’” Griffin recounted.

Elizabeth took a picture of the two before Griffin took the camera and photographed the queen with the unknowing tourists.

“I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photographs to friends in America and hopefully someone tells him who I am,” the queen allegedly told Griffin.

This story reminds me of when Jesus met Mary Magdalene at the garden tomb and later the disciples on the road to Emmaus. In both cases, they did not recognize Him, with one thinking He was the cemetery groundskeeper and the others a stranger visiting the area. How many times do I not recognize my Sovereign in my daily walk?

Lord, open my eyes today and let me recognize You in the sunrise, when walking through the day, in a smile, an encouraging word, a helping hand, a word of grace spoken in season, and let me see You in the sunset. And repeat the same tomorrow.

[i] Various versions of this story about Queen Elizabeth have circulated. See https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/09/we-are-amused-how-the-queen-saw-the-funny-side.