The Queen will celebrate her 95th birthday on 21 April, and in the run-up to the celebrations, her childhood friend and confidante, Lady Pamela Hicks, has shared some intimate details about the monarch.
Reliving memories of her time as the Queen's lady-in-waiting for new ITV series, My Years With The Queen – which airs 1 April on ITV at 9 pm – Lady Pamela recalled the hilarious moment Her Majesty duped royal watchers while on tour in Australia in 1953.
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Referring to the royal by her affectionate nickname, Lillibet, the 91-year-old read from an old journal entry and said: "I sat with Lillibet under a tree, listening to her holding forth about being marooned on a desert island.
"But she cheered up considerably when a boatload of trippers appeared shouting whether we had seen the Queen, where is she?
"Lillibet, in slacks, tore down to the beach, pointed to the other side of the island and yelled: 'She went that-a-way' and jumped up and down with joy as the boat disappeared around the corner."
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© Photo: Getty ImagesLady Pamela Hicks (centre) was one of the Queen's bridesmaids
Lady Pamela also recounted her journal entry in which she wrote about the "tremendous arm muscles" the Queen developed due to constant waving at royal fans.
"Philip and Lillibet have to keep waving nearly all day long," she began. "She’s developed tremendous muscles in her arms. Sitting still in a car, being yelled at and having to wave is part of the tour that Philip loathes."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen will turn 95 in April
Praising the Queen, Lady Pamela added: "The Queen’s life has been entirely dictated by her sense of duty.
"It’s a word that’s barely used and certainly not understood but duty was good. It gave you a goal.
"She is an amazing person. There’s such inner strength there. And she has just remained like that throughout her life."
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