She might be the most famous woman in the world, but even the Queen can go undetected on occasion. Ahead of her 90th birthday this week, her former protection officer Richard Griffin has recalled a time when the monarch was approached by a group of American tourists while out on a walk near her Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire.Speaking to The Times, Richard said that the Queen – dressed in a head scarf and a tweed coat – was asked if she lived in the area, to which she responded by simply saying she had a house "close by".
The monarch had the perfect response when asked if she had met the Queen
"Have you even met the Queen?" the group then asked. "No," she replied, before pointing to companion and adding: "But he has."
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Richard, who worked closely with the monarch for more than 30 years, said the group then moved on, none the wiser to who they had just met.It comes just a few days after warrant officer John Ross revealed that the Queen was in the habit of checking the quality of her soldiers' packed lunches to make sure they were "being looked after properly".
Balmoral Castle, the Queen's private residence in Scotland
"The royal family were so much fun to work for, they made all the soldiers feel at ease," said 61-year-old Mr Ross, who served for 25 years in the King's Own Scottish Borders regiment, helping to protect the royals on their visits to Balmoral. "One of Her Majesty's priorities was looking after the welfare of the soldiers who were responsible for providing support for all events," he told the Telegraph."She often tasted our packed lunches to check we were being properly looked after before we went out on hunting or fishing trips. She would come to the kitchen and inspect the sandwiches. Most were up to scratch, but if they weren't, they'd be sent back."