Queen’s Prank On American Tourists Leaves People In Stitches

A former Royal protection officer has revealed the hilarious moment the Queen played a joke on two American tourists.

Queen Elizabeth II may be 96 years of age, but she's definitely proven that you're never too old to pull a good old-fashioned prank.

Amid the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, former Royal protection officer Richard Griffin reminisced on his time spent with the Queen, and one particular recollection of events has caused his interview to go viral.

Griffin opened up about a stroll he went on with the Queen in the grounds of Balmoral Castle.

Despite not normally bumping into anyone at the picnic sites nearby, the former protection officer explained he and Her Majesty once came across two Americans on a walking holiday.

He recalled: "It was clear from the moment we first stopped that they hadn't recognised the Queen – which is fine – and the American gent was telling the Queen where they came from, where they were going to next, and where they'd been to in Britain. And I could see it coming.

"And sure enough, he said to Her Majesty, 'And where do you live?' And she said, 'Well, I live in London but I have a holiday home just the other side of the hills'."

Griffin then explained how one of the American hikers asked the Queen how often she had been coming to Balmoral.

The Queen responded that she had been coming for more than 80 years, since she was a little girl.

Griffin continued: "And you can see the cogs ticking. He said: 'Well if you've been coming up here for 80 years, you must've met the Queen'.

"And as quick as a flash, she says, 'Well I haven't, but Dicky here meets her regularly.'"

When asked by the tourist what the Queen was like, Griffin explained he 'knew [he] could pull her leg' as had been working with Her Majesty for a long time, and so responded: "Oh, she can be very cantankerous at times, but she's got a lovely sense of humour."

The hiker then asked the Queen to take a photograph of him and Griffin.

However, they also got on with her Royal Highness too.

Griffin noted: "We never let on and we waved goodbye and then Her Majesty said, 'I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photos to his friends in America and hopefully someone tells him who I am'."

The interview has amassed more than three million views, and Twitter users have been left in stitches.

One user said: "Absolutely priceless it says it all about the Queen she's got a great sense of humour we should all be proud that she has been our queen for all these years,and I hope for many more. And I hope she wins the Derby one year."

"This is fabulous," a second commented.

Another noted: "So lovely to hear!"

A final said what we've all been thinking: "I would love to know the reaction of the gentleman when he found out who he had been talking to."