# Is Queen Elizabeth II a nice person? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 21, 2007, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031 "2007-04-21T02:57:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/21 "2007-04-22T04:02:14Z")
[QUOTE=Mangosteen] How much of a “personal life” does she really have? She certainly can’t go out in public. How often does she have to go out and make appearances? Is her whole day “scheduled” everyday? Friends can’t just stop by and see her ( if having “friends” is even possible as a Queen.) [/QUOTE] The old dear is spending a lot more time at Windsor and Balmoral than she used to. She is in her eighties after all, and her husband is older than she is. I imagine that she wants to hang around long enough to make sure that the reign of King George VII is as short as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/22 "2007-04-22T04:20:43Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] She’s a little stuffy when she first gets here, but after she has a few beers and we’re into the second or third episode of My Name is Earl she’s laughing with the rest of us and judging the burping contests. She does insist on the best chair, though, but I can excuse that because she’s old. [/QUOTE] Yeah, she’s pretty cool, but if you go out with her get your own drinks. You’ll buy a round of shots, but when it’s her turn she’s nowhere to be seen. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/23 "2007-04-22T04:24:34Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] Yeah, she’s pretty cool, but if you go out with her get your own drinks. You’ll buy a round of shots, but when it’s her turn she’s nowhere to be seen. [/QUOTE] Actually, there is a strict protocol for belly shots, you’d be surprised! ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/24 "2007-04-22T06:20:53Z")
Define “nice”. I knew a Member of Parliament many years ago who had met her several times. Despite the fact that my friend was hardly a fan of the Royal Family, he said she was quite friendly, actually seemed to listen to what people had to say and responded with some intelligent and provocative questions. I would imagine she didn’t grow up having a lot of girlfriends sit around her bed and talk about boys while doing each other’s hair - so that might have something to do with her lack of earthiness when dealing with the common folk. Just recently there was a special on television about kids of billionaires and one girl admitted that while she was a kid growing up, she just assumed everyone had a 12 bedroom summer home where you went horseback riding and played tennis. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/25 "2007-04-22T13:30:48Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] I imagine that she wants to hang around long enough to make sure that the reign of King George VII is as short as possible. [/QUOTE] Thanks, I had to read the \*\*entire \*\* Wiki article on Charles before finding out why he’d use George. Now I have to know why they wanted to call Henry Harry?? (Wiki doesn’t address this distinction.) ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/26 "2007-04-22T14:21:15Z")
[QUOTE=Nawth Chucka] Thanks, I had to read the \*\*entire \*\* Wiki article on Charles before finding out why he’d use George. Now I have to know why they wanted to call Henry Harry?? (Wiki doesn’t address this distinction.) [/QUOTE] I think Harry is just a nickname for Henry, so it would be no different from naming someone Edward or Theodore and calling them Ted. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/27 "2007-04-22T14:38:55Z")
Well she doesn’t give head, at least not in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/28 "2007-04-22T14:44:03Z")
Worth reading despite its strong monarchist slant and datedness: _Majesty_, by Robert Lacey. Queen Elizabeth was raised to hold a particular set of values: duty to country, need to avoid any expression of personal feeling, stoicism, urbane warmth towards all with whom she comes in contact. These values have shaped her every waking moment, her role as queen, her relationships with family, etc. I doubt that any living person except possibily Philip really knows the real person behind the royal mask. ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/29 "2007-04-22T15:01:55Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] Just recently there was a special on television about kids of billionaires and one girl admitted that while she was a kid growing up, she just assumed everyone had a 12 bedroom summer home where you went horseback riding and played tennis. [/QUOTE] You mean they don’t? ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/30 "2007-04-22T15:50:21Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] Oh, do tell. I seem to mention with dreary regularity that I know an Earl who was some sort of page to QEII when he was younger. He’s one of the nicest people anyone could ever meet, but talking about the Royal family is an obvious no-no. So spill! [/QUOTE] Sorry. Nothing to spill. Just her clinical opinion. And I’ve never met any royalty, just a few MPs. (Who, to hijack the thread, danced around the question and then got down to “Soooo…did you vote for Bush?” The evening went much better when I said no.) To come back to the OP…sortof…I think she was…is …a better woman than, say Princess Di. And showed a lot of character for not giving in to the cult of personality. Probably was short sited (and not nice) but she took the high road. ---
**Author:** ![carlotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@carlotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlotta)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/31 "2007-04-22T16:52:56Z")
Readers of this thread may be interested to know that the Queen’s nanny wrote a tell-all memoir…I haven’t read it, but surely it will give some insight into the OP’s question > **[The Little Princesses: The Story of... by Crawford, Marion](https://www.amazon.com/Little-Princesses-Queens-Childhood-Crawford/dp/0312312156)** > > The Little Princesses: The Story of the Queen's Childhood by her Nanny, Marion Crawford \[Crawford, Marion, Bond, Jennie\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Little Princesses: The Story of the Queen's Childhood by her Nanny,... ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/32 "2007-04-23T01:33:59Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] Well she doesn’t give head, at least not in my experience. [/QUOTE] Speak for yourself. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/33 "2007-04-23T09:50:50Z")
“Her Majesties’ a pretty nice girl but she doesn’t have a lot to say Her Majesties’ a pretty nice girl but she changes from day to day. I want to tell her I love her a lot but I’ve gotta get a belly full of wine…” Ok my mother thinks she isn’t but the Beatles think she is. Who do I trust, the psycologist or the rock n’ roll band? Well the band of course rock n’ roll singers know everything. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/34 "2007-04-23T13:53:26Z")
I recall a short interview with Edward in Time magazine a year or two ago. He said in family settings, when she’s not being Queen, she’s a warm, funny person. He then recalled a time when a servant accidentally pulled a chair out form under her, landing her on her bottom. Rather than getting upset at the footman, she made a quick joke at her own expense, and sat herself. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/35 "2007-04-23T14:06:12Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Nice or not nice is irrelevant. She has had to set aside her personal feelings in order to be successful in her double life as an assassin for British Intelligence. “I’m doing this for me and country,” she sighs sadly as she puts a bullet into yet another tin-crown mudhole dictator. [/QUOTE] Not a lot of people know it but Liz actually designs and tests those sneaky weapons for Bond, James Bond…::cue Bond Music:: ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/36 "2007-04-23T14:56:42Z")
[QUOTE=kunilou] Speak for yourself. [/QUOTE] Hey LADY! ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/37 "2007-04-23T15:07:19Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] “Her Majesties’ a pretty nice girl but she doesn’t have a lot to say Her Majesties’ a pretty nice girl but she changes from day to day. I want to tell her I love her a lot but I’ve gotta get a belly full of wine..” [/QUOTE] Oh. Gosh. I always thought it was “I imagine she’s,” not “Her Majesty’s”. (goes off to re-examine philosophical foundation of life) ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/38 "2007-04-23T16:34:12Z")
[QUOTE=Sattua] Oh. Gosh. I always thought it was “I imagine she’s,” not “Her Majesty’s”. (goes off to re-examine philosophical foundation of life) [/QUOTE] 😃 Let me now how your fundumental philosophes have changed. (And thank me and John Lennon…or curse us..later) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/39 "2007-04-24T00:07:44Z")
I hear her sons are real princes, every one of them. But the daughter’s a felchin’ princess. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031/40 "2007-04-24T20:29:44Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] I imagine that she wants to hang around long enough to make sure that the reign of King George VII is as short as possible. [/QUOTE] Why? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-queen-elizabeth-ii-a-nice-person/401031.md?page=3)