The late Queen’s biggest secret she kept from family for months – and how it was finally revealed
The late Queen was known for having a wonderful sense of humour by those who knew her, and nothing made this clearer to the public than when she took on a very special role at the 2012 Olympics.
Queen Elizabeth II shocked the crowd at the Olympics opening ceremony – as well as viewers at home – after taking part in a James Bond sketch, which saw Her Majesty appearing to parachute into the stadium in all her finery for the evening’s entertainment. According to her former communications and press secretary Ailsa Anderson, the moment was kept a huge secret – even from her family!
Chatting on HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast, Ailsa explained: “Danny Boyle approached the palace, and the Queen was asked, and she didn’t hesitate; she said yes! It was obviously all under wraps; no one knew about it, including the family!
“You looked at the expressions on people’s faces, like Zara and Mike Tindall, when it looked like the Queen was parachuting out of a helicopter; no one knew! It was that element of surprise.”
She continued: “I think it just demonstrated how the late Queen would take chances and also had this extraordinary sense of humour. The Paddington sketch she did at her Platinum Jubilee showed that cheeky sense of humour and her willingness to put her country before herself.”
