Princess Eugenie made headlines when she revealed a tiny tattoo behind her ear during Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, and while several European royals have their own ink, the British Royal Family has mostly steered away from body art. Their royal protection officers, however, are another story, as Queen Camilla shared when she visited the Sandringham Flower Show with King Charles on Wednesday, July 23.
According to the Mirror, The Queen was greeting members of the public at the flower show when Phil Smith, a fan from Northampton, England, showed Camilla his royal-themed tattoos. Smith, 61, has Queen Elizabeth's royal cipher on his ankle, with the ciphers of King Charles and Queen Camilla just above. He then hiked up his shorts to reveal the couple's joint cipher, a new addition to his tattoo collection.
Queen Camilla gasped as viewed his designs, then said to one of her protection officers, "Look, he’s got one too." Smith confirmed that the royal bodyguard had the same cipher, telling reporters, "I waited to see her to show her my latest [tattoo] and she laughed. She said one of her security men has also had it done too."
Smith is a longtime royal fan and said he's been writing letters to Camilla since before she married Charles in 2005. "Honestly, she’s just great," he said. "We exchange letters. She knew who I was. She asked how long it took and I told her about two and a half hours. But I told her this one bloody hurt. She just finds it hilarious. She pulled her police officer’s sleeve and said ‘look, it’s catching on!’"
"I just think she’s fabulous and have got to know her a bit," he continued. "We just hit it off. I love the Royal Family and she in particular has got a good sense of humor. She frequently responds."
Along with tattoo talk, Camilla opened up about her new rescue puppy, Moley, during the Sandringham Flower Show. When asked about her recent visit to the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, she said, "I’m sorry we couldn’t bring Moley to the engagement last week," saying that although the weather was too hot, the mixed-breed dog is also "very naughty."
"I think I only have one shoe left," she admitted.
