Just days before her passing, Queen Elizabeth II revealed her true character in a touching moment, shared by her long-time stud groom, Tony Pendry, during a conversation with Gyles Brandreth on his podcast.
According to Pendry, the Queen remained in good spirits in her final days and recounted their last pony ride together, during which she playfully reprimanded him.
Pendry recalled making a comment about the age of both the pony and the Queen, which the monarch didn’t take lightly.
She asked him to walk beside her rather than ride with her, something that hadn’t occurred since she was a princess. Pendry then made a remark about the age difference between the pony and the Queen.
After asking to take a picture during the ride, the Queen asked “what do you want to do that for?” and he replied: “Well, you’d like one for your scrapbook. Your pony’s 26, you’re 96, that has to be a record.” The next day, the Queen said to Mr Pendry: “You were very rude to me yesterday.”
He says he replied: “Your Majesty, I’m awfully sorry, but what do you mean, rude? If I was, I apologise profusely – it wouldn’t have been intentional and I apologise. Was it something I said?” She replied: “You said my age” and then burst into laughter, according to Mr Pendry’s account of events, the Express reported.
The encounter served as a show of the Queen’s true colours as she was known for her sense of humour and wit.
Mr Pendry added: “That was just her.” The aide was also responsible for sneaking the Queen’s beloved Emma into the grounds of the gardens adjacent to Windsor Castle so she could maintain forms of exercise and get fresh air in her later years. He added of his relationship with the Queen: “Over the years we became very good friends.”
Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96.
