# How does the Queen Elizabeth answer her phone
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [April 23, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114 "2009-04-23T17:08:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/1 "2009-04-23T17:08:33Z")
_Inspired by the “Do famous celebrities get junk mail?” thread_
A friend of mine and I once tried to figure out how Queen Elizabeth answers her phone. I mean, after all, there’s no way she’s never used a telephone in her life. Now, obvs, she has someone answer it and they patch the caller through to Her Majesty if appropriate. But! She has to announce her presence once she picks up, no? She can’t just lift the receiver to her ear and remain silent. So what does she say?
FWIW, we settled on “Queen speaking.” But anyone who has gotten HM on the horn is welcome to share the experience.
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### Author:  [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/2 "2009-04-23T17:12:28Z")
I’m going with
“Ahoy ahoy”
Until I hear otherwise.
Kimmy Gibbler? Ahhh! I haven’t heard that name in years!
The neighbor chick from the show with the baby anorexics! I had a huge crush on you in my formative years! 😊
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### Author:  [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/3 "2009-04-23T17:25:07Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#):
>
> I mean, after all, there’s no way she’s never used a telephone in her life.
Since she became Queen, okay, I’ll grant you that. But beforehand, it’s quite likely that she did. IIRC, she was an airplane mechanic during WWII. I’d be very surprised if she had servants doing her phone connections at that point.
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### Author:  [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/4 "2009-04-23T17:33:03Z")
> [@Keeve](#):
>
> Since she became Queen, okay, I’ll grant you that. But beforehand, it’s quite likely that she did. IIRC, she was an airplane mechanic during WWII. I’d be very surprised if she had servants doing her phone connections at that point.
Read what you’re quoting…
Joe
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### Author:  [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/5 "2009-04-23T17:37:18Z")
“Who is calling One?”
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/6 "2009-04-23T17:43:03Z")
What makes you think she doesn’t say “Hello”?
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### Author:  [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/7 "2009-04-23T17:51:53Z")
“Is this the party to whom I am speaking?”
Another vote for “Hello” — the screeners will have done the identification, so all that is necessary is a courtesy greeting.
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### Author:  [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/8 "2009-04-23T17:52:07Z")
Corgi Society. Would you like to make a donation.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/9 "2009-04-23T17:54:12Z")
“Phil’s in the shitter, how can I help you?”
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### Author:  [@Henrichek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henrichek)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/10 "2009-04-23T18:09:04Z")
“Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith speaking”
Depends on which realm the subject she is communicating with is from 🙂
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### Author:  [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/11 "2009-04-23T18:14:05Z")
According to [this](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7766147.stm) she initiated a phone call by saying “This is the queen speaking.”
However, I’d imagine that if she’s lounging around at home, whoever is calling will already know perfectly well who they’re calling. Obviously it’s not exactly a reputable source, but I do recall in the thoroughly-mediocre movie _The Queen_, she was just told in advance who was on the phone and answered accordingly - “Hello, prime minister” or whatever.
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### Author:  [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/12 "2009-04-23T18:18:27Z")
> [@Zsofia](#):
>
> What makes you think she doesn’t say “Hello”?
Only because “Hello” does leave a little ambiguity, supposing you don’t know what the Queen sounds like (see, I wasn’t kidding when I said my friend and I ran all the angles on this one). One could imagine the following exchange:
```auto
**London, in the recent past**
*Brrrrrrrrrring*
Operator: Good morning, Buckingham Palace, how may I direct your call?
Caller: Extension 4, please. It's Tony.
Operator: One moment, I'll connect you.
*Rule Britannia* plays during the call transfer
HMQE: Hello.
TB: Uh, yes, I was trying to reach Her Majesty actually.
HMQE: [Fill in the blank!!]
```
Fine. She probably does say something boring like “This is Her Majesty.” But can you handle the follow-up? Does the Queen have a voicemail account? If so, what does she use as her greeting?
We hope it’s “[robot voice] Hello, you have reached the voice mailbox for [HMQE voice] the Queen of England [robot voice again] Please leave your message after the tone. When you are finished recording your message, press 1 for more options or just hang up.”
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### Author:  [@Lambo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lambo)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/13 "2009-04-23T18:35:08Z")
I would guess that the operator, after letting the queen know who the caller is, brings the caller on-line and announces that he is now on the line with her. If I had the money, that’s what I would do.
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### Author:  [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/14 "2009-04-23T18:38:22Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#):
>
> Read what you’re quoting…
>
> Joe
:eek: One little letter I missed! Yikes! :eek: Thanks for catching that… :o
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### Author:  [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/15 "2009-04-23T18:38:42Z")
**How does the Queen Elizabeth answer her phone?**
With one pinky up.
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### Author:  [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/16 "2009-04-23T18:44:35Z")
_ **Yes, this is the Queen, and we don’t have Prince Albert in a can!** _
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/17 "2009-04-23T18:49:57Z")
> [@nivlac](#):
>
> _ **Yes, this is the Queen, and we don’t have Prince Albert in a can!** _
“We do, however, have him in an urn.”
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### Author:  [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/18 "2009-04-23T18:50:15Z")
Being that she’s likely not embroiled in the absolute latest in cultural trends, and what with American programming sometimes being delayed in being exported to the UK…
I’m gonna go with…
“Wazzzaaaaaaaap”
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/19 "2009-04-23T18:51:39Z")
> [@johnspartan](#):
>
> Being that she’s likely not embroiled in the absolute latest in cultural trends, and what with American programming sometimes being delayed in being exported to the UK…
>
> I’m gonna go with…
>
> “Wazzzaaaaaaaap”
I can totally see the Spitting Image version of QEII doing that…
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### Author:  [@Dublin11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dublin11)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-queen-elizabeth-answer-her-phone/494114/20 "2009-04-23T18:58:57Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#):
>
> ```auto
>
> **London, in the recent past**
>
> *Brrrrrrrrrring*
>
> Operator: Good morning, Buckingham Palace, how may I direct your call?
> Caller: Extension 4, please. It's Tony.
> Operator: One moment, I'll connect you.
>
> *Rule Britannia* plays during the call transfer
>
> HMQE: Hello.
> TB: Uh, yes, I was trying to reach Her Majesty actually.
> HMQE: [Fill in the blank!!]
>
> ```
If the Tony/TB in your conversation there is Tony Blair, how likely is it _really_, that he’d not recognise her voice?
Even the first time he ever spoke to her on the phone, he’d have known what she sounded like.
And more to the point, I bet no one just phones The Queen, apart from her family. It seems far more likely to me that if you want to speak to her on the phone, and you’ve got the political clout for that to be a possibilty, that you have to make an appointment to call at a certain time.
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