Guard admits he almost made a tragic mistake with The Queen

The Queen has been the centre of a lot of amazing stories over her 90-years, but a recently revealed one could have had a tragic ending.  It’s one of those stories that we can laugh about now because we are sure the guard wasn’t laughing at the time.

To combat her trouble sleeping, The Queen is fond of taking a late-night stroll around the grounds of the palace.  In a recent interview with The Times, a former guard paints a picture about one of these walks.

While the guard was on watch on a rainy night, he noticed a raincoat-clad figure in the distance.  Being that it was 3 AM, he naturally thought that he had found an intruder.  Raising his weapon, he yelled, “Who’s that?”  Much to his immediate relief and then even more immediate dread it was The Queen.

According to the story, the guard was beside himself, “‘Bloody hell, Your Majesty; I nearly shot you,’ he blurted out.”  The Guard realised that his tone and word choice were not appropriate in the presence of The Queen expected to be stood down, but to his surprise, The Queen reportedly said, “That’s quite all right. Next time I’ll ring through beforehand, so you don’t have to shoot me.”

We don’t know how much longer that Guard worked in the position but we are sure that if he saw someone on the grounds at night in the future his questioning would be a bit more suitable for royalty or trespasser.  Something like “May I kindly ask whom you are and what’s your business, please?” or not, it is their job to keep The Queen safe.

What do you think about the story?  Do you believe that the Queen has seen so much that this wouldn’t even have phased her? How must the guard have felt?