# Does Queen Elizabeth ever dine with ordinary folks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813 "2004-03-23T01:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Don\_Roberto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Don\_Roberto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Roberto)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/21 "2004-03-23T20:11:27Z")
When my finacee went, she said there were about two hundred people there, and so I suppose the Q was on a large dais or some such thing. This event took place at one of the large palaces–I don’t remember which and forgot to ask last night. When my other friend went, there were about 15 people there from the local council, where the event took place (i.e., in some local hall–not the palace). To be honest, the thing I remember best about his dining experience is that he borrowed one of my ties for the occasion and still has not returned it. ---
**Author:** ![Ivar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ivar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivar)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/22 "2004-03-23T20:16:19Z")
I was at a youth hostel this summer in London, and someone CLAIMED to have had tea with the Queen that very afternoon. It seems their group was on a guided tour of the palace, when they were suddenly ushered past some ropes and through some metal detectors, then to another room where tea and biscuits were set up. Then in walked the Queen and invited everyone to join her at the table. She chatted with everyone and said she was pleased to meet so many people from all over world. Credible? I have no idea. But it makes for a good story. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/23 "2004-03-23T22:27:04Z")
I have a vague recollection that Her Majesty visited president Clinton in Washington and she did the same show of visiting some private home of some poor people and had tea with them or something. I can’t find any information on line though. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/24 "2004-03-23T22:30:31Z")
Until recently, the Queen used to visit commoners in their homes on occasion and drink tea with them (or at least, tea was set before her, apparently she would never drink it). I remember one major photo opportunity in a council house in the roughest part of Glasgow. Presumably she’s not doing this any more, though, with all the extra security concerns. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/25 "2004-03-23T23:22:41Z")
> [@watsondog](#): > > She more or less does what she is expected and supposed to do - which turns out to be an awful lot compared to most of us, and an enormous amount compared to the rest of her family (save Princess Anne). I wouldn’t be liking 14-hour-days 6 days a week if I were 77 and had bad arthritis. Agreed. I really had thought her to be somewhat of a slacker until I saw a detailed documentary on her, which showed her putting in a very long day dealing with real government business nearly every single day. The way they portrayed her was quite impressive, and I don’t think they were just trying to sell her, as the documentary was also highly negatively critical on other areas (family relations, esp. Diana). ---
**Author:** ![Jojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecd19e/32.png) [@Jojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jojo)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/26 "2004-03-23T23:40:05Z")
Watsondog said: (For all the complaining that the Royals are “just a bunch of Germans”, the Queen looks very much like any other Englishwoman. She should - the English are a bunch of Germans themselves.) um, no they’re not. I, for example, am English celt - descended from the original inhabitants of these islands. Many celts fled to Wales and Scotland when the Romans came (bunch of cowards). We are the mad bastards who stayed, took to the hills and fought. I dream of the day when we kick all the foreigners out - the vikings, the angles, the saxons, the normans. All of them. And then we can reclaim our homeland. ---
**Author:** ![Jojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecd19e/32.png) [@Jojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jojo)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/27 "2004-03-23T23:41:13Z")
sorry meant to put watsondog’s words in a quote - its the bit in brackets anyway. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/28 "2004-03-23T23:44:23Z")
> [@Shade](#): > > I danced with a girl who danced with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the son of the prince of wales\* if that counts. > > \*Cookie to anyone who gets this reference “I met a man whose brother said he knew a man who knew the Oxford Girl…” –“Oxford Girl” - The Oyster Band ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/29 "2004-03-23T23:55:05Z")
Formal occasions and the like apart, the only occasion I can recall it being reported in recent years that she’d had a “normal” night out at a restaurant was in 1997. For her Golden Wedding anniversary, she had dinner with her immediate family at the Waterside Inn in Bray. Of course, this is one of the most acclaimed eating establishments in the country and the Royal party were the only ones dining there that night, so there was no chance of Mr. and Mrs. Bloggs from Milton Keynes evesdropping on her from the next table on her night off. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/30 "2004-03-24T00:56:50Z")
I was at a party with Freddie Mercury, and we both noshed on pretzels. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/31 "2004-03-24T01:06:12Z")
> [@Jojo](#): > > Watsondog said: I, for example, am English celt - descended from the original inhabitants of these islands. Many celts fled to Wales and Scotland when the Romans came (bunch of cowards). We are the mad bastards who stayed, took to the hills and fought. > > I dream of the day when we kick all the foreigners out - the vikings, the angles, the saxons, the normans. All of them. And then we can reclaim our homeland. Are the Cornish celtic? ---
**Author:** ![Jojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecd19e/32.png) [@Jojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jojo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/32 "2004-03-24T01:56:39Z")
Yes, there were some people with guts down there too. I’m from the north west of England where celts are more numerous than they are in the south and the east. Since the south and the east are nearer to the continent (and therefore more susceptable to foreign invasions) most of the vikings live there. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/33 "2004-03-24T02:08:34Z")
**Jojo** , please tell me you’re joking. Otherwise we’re in for one hell of an argument. ---
**Author:** ![Jojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecd19e/32.png) [@Jojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jojo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/34 "2004-03-24T02:51:30Z")
Yes I’m joking about deporting vikings but I just wanted to point out that not all English are german was all. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/35 "2004-03-24T03:01:04Z")
LOL good - I’m celtic-viking-saxon, and not a trace of Norman blood to be found (yes I’m also joking) But seriously, my girlfriend can trace her ancestory with some certainty back to the Viking invasions. Which is VERY interesting. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/36 "2004-03-24T03:12:56Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > I have a vague recollection that Her Majesty visited president Clinton in Washington and she did the same show of visiting some private home of some poor people and had tea with them or something. I can’t find any information on line though. I remember this as well. It was in a fairly rough neighborhood in (IIRC) D.C. The thing that I remember, which the press played as a minor scandal was that the rather large woman host gave the Queen a huge hug hello. Queenie was a bit taken aback but masked it well. Haj ---
**Author:** ![chiefgnome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@chiefgnome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiefgnome)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/37 "2004-03-24T12:02:20Z")
> [@Jojo](#): > > Yes I’m joking about deporting vikings but I just wanted to point out that not all English are german was all. Ahh…but we are! The Celts aren’t the original inhabitants \either\, and more to the point they originate from South-East Germany. They took over Britain in two waves, the first around 600-400BC and the second around 150BC. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/38 "2004-03-24T13:03:57Z")
> [@Shade](#): > > I danced with a girl who danced with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the son of the prince of wales\* if that counts. > > \*Cookie to anyone who gets this reference Pre-Edwardian vaudeville song “I Danced With A Man Who Danced With A Girl Who Danced With The Prince Of Wales” … can’t track down composer, but it was used as the theme for the mini-series “Edward & Mrs Simpson”. Choccie chip? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/39 "2004-03-25T02:10:30Z")
Does the Queen still hold Garden Parties at her various palaces around the UK? If you go to one of them you get to eat sandwiches in the same general area that members of the Royal family are wandering around … ---
**Author:** ![chiefgnome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@chiefgnome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiefgnome)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813/40 "2004-03-25T10:58:58Z")
> [@Lobelia Overhill](#): > > Does the Queen still hold Garden Parties at her various palaces around the UK? If you go to one of them you get to eat sandwiches in the same general area that members of the Royal family are wandering around … She sure does - I was invited to one this Summer, but the dates (I had a choice) were either four days before my wedding (when I’ll be too busy) or three days after my wedding (when I’ll be too abroad). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-queen-elizabeth-ever-dine-with-ordinary-folks/235813.md?page=3)