Stills from the BBC documentary Queen: One’s Long Strange Trip
Before she was queen, Elizabeth worked coal from the unforgiving earth.
The queen wasn’t officially Queen until she bopped these men in the head with these fancy sticks.
Every morning the sovereign is required to remind the people that she is still queen and they aren’t.
Her role is far from merely ceremonial. Here she examines a request from Stevenage Borough Council for a new sewage line to direct overflow to Welwyn Garden City.
Her Majesty takes aim at a peasant while her instructor (Ralph Waite’s British brother?) looks on respectfully if not a little turned on.
HRH’s SOP is to take a snap of ‘persons of interest’, who are escorted to her private chambers then sworn to secrecy.
‘R’ has met many celebrities in her long life, many of whom really open up to her. Angelina Jolie tearfully confessed her disgust with Brad Pitt’s personal hygiene regime.
Pope Benedict proudly showed off the Vatican’s braille edition of The Kama Sutra.
Honorary EastEnder for a day… which was perhaps a day too much.
Comforting Yoko Ono by girlishly confiding that while her advisers recommended public admiration for Paul, she always fancied John for a bit of rough.
Yet another ‘jokey’ birthday death threat sent by her devoted son. Her security detail is very much on top of things.
Little known fact: When the Queen dies, her beloved corgis will be buried alive with her to escort her to her glorious afterlife.
Next: A salute to the duke