The Queen has opened up about an incident in 1994 that could have ended very badly, were it not for her skilled personal protection officer. She shared her story at Tuesday's Buckingham Palace garden party while speaking to one guest, Lucy Stafford. Lucy later revealed to HELLO!: "The Queen was very funny, she reminisced about how her bodyguard had caught a cricket ball flying towards her at a match in 1994. She said she would have been dead if it hadn't been caught!"
The inspiring teen was invited to the party after setting up Hospital Love Bundles, an organisation that sends care packages to young adults who are regularly in and out of hospital. Lucy, 19, also campaigns for improved access to medical cannabis in the UK.
Video: The Queen is joined by royal family at her garden party
Taking to Instagram, Lucy shared a series of photos from the palace gardens and wrote: "What an incredible day! So honoured to have been invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace. We had the most delicious afternoon tea in the gardens and even finished the day by meeting the Queen (who told us about how a cricket ball almost killed her in 1994) and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Can't quite believe it all really happened!"
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Lucy also managed to snap a wonderful shot of Prince William and Kate leaving the party. The Cambridges looked like they were straight out of a musical, with William holding Kate's outstretched arm as he donned a morning suit and top hat. The Duchess was absolutely radiant in a pink Alexander McQueen coatdress.
The Queen met guests at Tuesday's garden party
"As they were leaving the party, Kate was spending a lot of time talking to the guests and William had to hurry her along, which is the moment the photo was taken!" Lucy explained. "I feel so fortunate to have attended the party and will definitely never forget it! It was the loveliest day and we had the most delicious afternoon tea in the gardens. The royal family circulated the party and were so incredibly kind and genuine."
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Kate has previously opened up about walkabouts and how the royal family tease her. "There's a real art to walkabouts," the Duchess said in ITV documentary Our Queen at 90. "Everybody teases me in the family that I spend far too long chatting. I still have to learn a little bit more, and to pick up a few more tips, I suppose."
Lucy also took this wonderful shot of the Cambridges
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