Royal Author Reveals Why Everyone Was 'Terrified' of Queen Elizabeth

Hardman clarified that a key aspect of the Queen’s demeanor made people feel apprehensive around her.

The late Queen Elizabeth is often remembered for her stoic sense of duty, her remarkable 70-year-long reign, and her quintessential British humor. However, what many may not realize is that her former staff, and even family members, felt apprehensive around her behind closed doors. According to royal author Robert Hardman, this had less to do with anger and more with her exacting, perfectionist standards, suggesting that she was often misrepresented in the media.

In a conversation with The Telegraph, Hardman, who has covered the royal family for decades, revealed what the Queen was like behind the scenes. He said, "In private, the Queen was much more smiley, much more sparkly than the dreadful way she was portrayed in The Crown, particularly by Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton. Her Paddington Bear tea party sketch for the Platinum Jubilee showed off that side of her." As to why her close ones were always on their toes around her, he stressed, "Everyone was scared of her, but not because she [the Queen] might be angry – she wasn't an ogre – they were just terrified of letting her down."

Moreover, Hardman also reflected on Queen Elizabeth's momentous centenary birthday celebrations and her 'timeless' presence, which continues to guide King Charles. He mentioned that Charles successfully confounded his critics because of the way the late Queen had laid the groundwork. "There was a preconception that he would reign as Prince Charles, meddling and crossing constitutional red lines. But no, it's a situation analogous to a barrister becoming a judge – it's the same person but in an entirely different role, requiring an entirely different approach."

Indeed, as Hardman suggested, the late Queen was not what she seemed on camera, albeit in a good way. In his latest book, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. Her Story, he portrayed her as someone who always spoke her mind, becoming more decisive with age. Speaking to Marie Claire ahead of her 100th birthday, he shared, "She [the Queen] did start to smile more in later life, but you know, in public, she was still a mysterious, slightly scary figure." He argued that, as opposed to her behavior in public, the "private Queen was much more practical, pragmatic, could be very direct, could be quite sharp."

On that note, he beamed that even renowned leaders and politicians were often at a loss for words in Queen Elizabeth's presence. Although the late monarch was a 'maternal figure' that everyone felt warm and cozy about, he added that very, very senior and important people felt rather scared when they were around her. Instead of being the stereotypical old woman, Hardman asserted, "The older [the Queen] she got, the sort of stronger she got... And she was very direct in her decision-making, really in her later years." Despite the many difficulties in her family shortly before her passing, her sense of confidence was unshaken until her final days.