Late Queen's friend reveals her hilarious sense of humor

In her final years, Queen Elizabeth II was resolute in her desire to continue riding her cherished horses for as long as she could manage.

Special adjustments had to be made so she could maintain this beloved activity, such as adding steps to help her get on the horse and even at times being lifted.

According to Gyles Brandreth, a historian and broadcaster on royal matters, the late Queen’s stud groom Terry Pendry – who famously led the Queen’s pony Emma to Windsor Castle during her funeral procession in 2022 – dedicated himself to aiding her in every possible way.

“Terry would accompany her on these rides,” Gyles shared with HELLO!’s Emily Nash and Andrea Caamano on recent A Right Royal Podcast episode.

“Every year, another layer was added to the steps leading up to the horse because she was becoming shorter and more delicate. She could get on, but at the very end, he had to assist her off as her frailty deepened.”

“Towards the end, she urged him, ‘You won’t leave, will you? Please stay here because my pony needs you.’”

Gyles, who has recently updated the biography Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait in celebration of what would have marked the late Queen’s 100th birthday on April 21, also remembered her humorous side.

Once, when they discussed entertainers she'd enjoyed over the years, she flawlessly mimicked George Formby.

“There she was, in her eighties,” he reminisced. “She grabbed an invisible banjo and started singing When I'm Cleaning Windows. She could easily act scenes from Grange Hill alongside the child actors. She’d rarely mimic actual people but was great with characters and various regional accents.”

“Moreover, she could mimic animals like horses and dogs as well as airplanes, owing to living near Heathrow Airport. Her demonstration of a Concorde landing—with the gear shifting and wheels landing—was particularly impressive.”

She also made it a point to wave to Concorde travellers as their flight passed overhead. “Terry Pendry shared that during their afternoon rides, when Concorde was inbound, the Queen would always give a wave,” Gyles noted.

“Sometimes, the plane tipped its wings as it went by, a gesture she greatly enjoyed.”

Her relationship with her spouse, the Duke of Edinburgh, was “intriguing,” added the author.

“Sharing a life with someone for decades and maintaining such harmony was truly remarkable. They were quite an extraordinary pair.