ROYALSQueen Elizabeth II Likes To 'Laugh At Herself,' Once Said Her Face Looked Like 'Miss Piggy': Royal Biographer
The 94-year-old Queen of England may put on a rather stoic and hard-shelled persona, but sources revealed that she is "much livelier in private than what the public sees."
Royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith — author of Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch — quoted a source at Queen Elizabeth II's country estate in Norfolk, Sandringham, saying: "You can hear her laugh throughout that big house." Bedell Smith added, "She has a big laugh!"
The monarch also proves to be just like ordinary people, who can be self-deprecating. Bedell Smith recalled a time when a rerun of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's 1981 wedding was playing, not long after their ceremony, during a party in London. After catching a glimpse of herself on the screen, the Queen quipped: "Oh, there's my Miss Piggy face," according to Bedell Smith.
"She has the ability to laugh at herself," the biographer added.
Her Majesty also appears to be quite humorous, according to her dress maker and close confidante Angela Kelly, who recalled one of her photoshoots celebrating her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The grandmother to Prince William and Harry allegedly told photographer Barry Jeffrey, "Just keep the camera rolling!" before showing off her model poses.
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The Queen struck a "series of poses, slipping her hands in and out of her pockets and placing them onto her hips, mimicking the stances of a professional model," Kelly explained, noting that everyone stood "in disbelief."
"The Queen was a natural," she added. "Barry and I felt we were experiencing something really special: a moment never to be repeated."
Not only does she know how to have fun, but the Queen is also an animal lover. While she only has one remaining corgi left, Candy, she often enjoys spending time with her pup and English breed of horses. "She goes into a peaceful mode when she is with horses," the Queen's friend and equine adviser Monty Roberts said.
The Queen has been spending most of her time in recent months at her Windsor castle with husband Prince Philip, 99, amid the U.K.'s third lockdown.
As OK! previously reported, she will finally be able to reunite with her extended family — which includes the Duchess Of Sussex, Meghan Markle — as they are all set to attend the Queen's "Trooping of the Color" parade in honor of her 95th birthday on June 12.
PEOPLE conducted the interviews about the monarch's lively personality behind royal doors.
