Home / POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE / Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen’s Wicked Wit

Even though Queen Elizabeth II might be more reserved, she actually has wicked wit. Get details.

queen elizabeth wit
Source: MEGA

What with Megxit and Prince Philip’s illness, the Queen needs her sense of humour more than ever.

For decades the Queen didn't laugh much in public as she thought it would be undignified for her role.

But in recent years, she has relaxed more and given us the joy of her beautiful smile — and her wicked wit!

At Christmas she loves to play charades and does brilliant impersonations of World leaders she has met, including U.S. Presidents and numerous Russian bears like Boris Yeltsin.

And she’s never short of a withering put down when required, as Merrill Osmond of the Osmonds discovered.

The singer recalled how after a Royal Variety Show he stuck his tongue out, shook hands with Elizabeth and said: “Hello Mrs Queen!”

The next time they met he recalled: “When she finally got to me she said: ‘Hello Merrill.”

Astonished, he queried: “Hello, you remember me?” to which she replied: "Oh yes, I remember YOU!”

One of my favourite one-liners came as Her Majesty was talking to a British female politician at a Buckingham Palace reception.

Against the rules, the MP had left her cell phone on and when it rang the Queen told her: “You’d better answer that — it might be someone important!”

HOME SWEET HOME! FROM BUCKINGHAM PALACE TO WINDSOR CASTLE — SEE MAGNIFICENT PHOTOS OF THE BRITISH ROYAL RESIDENCES

Once, when walking in the grounds of Balmoral Castle in Scotland, she ran into some American tourists, and it was obvious they didn't recognize her.

“Have you ever met the Queen?” asked one, to which the monarch replied, “No” and then pointed to her police bodyguard saying: “But he has.”

When visiting New Zealand in 1986 the Queen and Prince Philip were pelted with eggs by Maori protestors.

Later, at a state banquet, she remarked: “New Zealand has long been renowned for its dairy produce, though I should say that I myself prefer my eggs for breakfast!”

FROM CHRISTMAS SERVICES TO TROOPING THE COLOUR: HOW THE ROYALS CELEBRATE THEIR INTRIGUING FAMILY TRADITIONS

And even Presidents have been on the receiving end.

When George Bush Senior re-visited the Queen at Buckingham Palace, he was taken with an ornate silver dish on the sideboard and asked what it was for.

The Queen answered: “I was hoping you could tell me — you gave it to me!”

GET BREAKING ROYAL NEWS
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

More Stories

Over the last few years, Kate's 'Royal Carols: Together at Christmas' event has turned into one of the most polished fixtures of the royal calendar.
By Abha Anindita · NOV 14, 2025
Fourteen years later, Bobbi Brown reveals who was really behind the makeup that captivated millions at Westminster Abbey.
By Abha Anindita · OCT 1, 2025
They regularly do the school run and are spotted cheering from the sidelines.
By Abha Anindita · AUG 25, 2025
For years, the King and the former U.S. First Lady have exchanged letters on shared passions like 'architecture, gardens, and the arts.'
By Abha Anindita · AUG 22, 2025
Royals stepping into fashion is not unusual, and Lady Amelia isn’t the first to blur the lines between aristocracy and high fashion.
By Abha Anindita · AUG 20, 2025
Kate and Charles' lives were unexpectedly 'turned upside down' when they were both diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
By Alex Stone · DEC 23, 2024
The price for King Charles III's May 2023 coronation has been unveiled, and its final sum 'interestingly compares' to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral bill.
By Charles Switzer · NOV 22, 2024
Kate, Princess of Wales, is back on the royal engagement circuit after conquering cancer, and could be set to don a tiara once again in early December 2024.
By Charles Switzer · OCT 12, 2024
Immediately following her wedding to Prince Charles, Diana, Princess of Wales' 'real thoughts' through her body language have been examined by a lip reader.
By Charles Switzer · AUG 1, 2024
King Charles III reportedly threw a temper 'tantrum' when Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, showed up late to his coronation.
By Charles Switzer · JUL 25, 2024