As monarch, Queen Elizabeth knew what was expected of her, and very rarely stepped out of line. In his book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, author Gyles Brandreth, a longtime friend of the Royal Family, explored the many facets of the late Queen’s personality. Even though the monarch was actually very reserved, the biographer revealed she did have a more cheeky side.
After showing a draft of his book to TV personality and historical advisor Alastair Bruce, who shared a warm relationship with the late Queen, Brandreth wrote that Bruce thought he’d missed out on one key trait of Queen Elizabeth’s. “Her shyness,” he said. “She really was very shy—and used talking about her dogs and her horses to deflect from her shyness.”
Fellow royal biographer Robert Hardman also noted that the late Queen also “found it easier to discuss emotions through animals” in his upcoming book, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. Her Story. But dogs aside, Bruce shared one hilarious story that showed Queen Elizabeth’s ability to toe the rules just a bit.
“I asked him if she was every naughty—if she ever broke the rules,” Brandreth said of his conversation with Bruce.
“‘Well,’ he said, ‘when she was ill, on doctors’ orders she was told to cut back on milk, so when tea was served, looking mischievous, she would take her teaspoon and dip it into the milk jug and then use the teaspoon to give her tea a quick swirl.”
It's certainly not the most defiant move a royal has made—not even close—but Brandreth noted that the late Queen "accepted her lot in life" and "did not kick against the pricks." However, every once in a while, even The Queen needed to push back against the expected...even if it was just a splash of milk.
