Despite a 70-year reign of consummate duty, it turns out that the late Queen Elizabeth loved a good old mishap – to add some variety to the royal routine.

That’s according to no less an authority than Her Majesty’s former aide, Samantha Cohen, who was interviewed recently for an Australian newspaper.

‘The Queen had no ego, she was comfortable in herself, yet she loved it when things went wrong,’ she explained to Melbourne-based Herald Sun.

‘If a cake was not cutting or a plaque didn’t unveil, because everything was so organised, it spiced her life up,’ said Ms Cohen, known by the Queen as Samantha the Panther for her ferocious work ethic.

For all that regal decorum, Her Majesty had a sharp sense of humour – devilment, even – and seemed to relish making others laugh, in fact, as these rather surprising video clips make clear…

Who are you, then?

Undaunted by her regal presence in 2000, these Australian nursery-aged children seemed to leave the Queen a little flummoxed, temporarily, at least.

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The Queen graciously paid a visit to Vasse Primary School, Busselton, Western Australia in 2000. She didn’t get quite the welcome she expected

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Jake had no idea who she was – and he wasn’t alone!

But not as confused as they were: ‘what’s your name?’ was the question of the moment. At least everyone else was laughing.

A moo-ving moment for her 90th

Famous for her love of dogs and horses, it was the bovine species that brought out Her Majesty’s inner child during celebrations for her 90th birthday in 2016.

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It’s….. a cow! The Queen, a keen lover of all animals, seems beside herself when the beast made its presence known

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The episode took during the televised celebration of her 90th birthday in the grounds of Windsor Castle in Berkshire

That’s the way to do it!

When presented with a large cake for slicing at a lunch engagement in 2021, the Queen demonstrated an unexpected sense of mischief by choosing to do the job with a large, scary and somewhat unwieldy sword.

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The Queen was presented with a huge cake at the G7 Summit in 2021 – and took a drastic course of action

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Offered a humble knife, Her Majesty made her feelings known

Yes, there was a knife available. ‘But this is more unusual,’ said her Majesty, warming to the task.

The Trump man cometh?

Not everyone finds The Donald a source of mirth, but Her Late Majesty certainly cracked a smile in 2018 when the foliage around her started shaking to the sound of helicopter.

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It wasn’t plans or animals that made the Queen smile as she filmed in the gardens of Buckingham Palace with Sir David Attenborough

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The peace was broken by a helicopter overhead. ‘It sounds like President Trump,’ she responded

‘It sounds like President Trump,’ she deadpanned to David Attenborough as they toured the Buckingham Palace gardens.

Not you again

There was an odd moment at a reception for Trump’s 2019 visit to Great Britain, when the Queen appears to upbraid her daughter, Anne. ‘Who, me?’ asks the Princess Royal.

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The Queen was expecting a dignitary to greet – and ended up with Princess Anne…

It turned out that her mother was scoping the next guest in the queue to shake her hand.

Budge up, can’t you?

Queen Elizabeth’s good natured humour was to the fore again in 1985 when six former Prime Ministers gathered at Downing Street with Margaret Thatcher – and tried to squeeze into the same photograph.

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Surrounded by six former Prime Ministers, including, from left,  Harold Macmillan and Alex Douglas- Home, the Queen shows them how it’s done

What a lot you got

The queen had a good chuckle when meeting members of the Canadian armed forces in 2021. This was the first time she had returned to Windsor from Balmoral, following the death of Prince Philip earlier that year.

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 Queen Elizabeth II meets members of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery at Windsor Castle

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Her Majesty seemed tickled to see a serviceman with so many medals they barely fitted on his chest

Her Majesty seemed tickled to encountering one serviceman with so many medals they barely fitted on to his chest.

Horsing around

This Shetland pony, Cruachan IV, showed few inhibitions at Sterling Castle when the monarch approached with a tasty bunch of flowers in 2017.

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The Queen had to hide the flowers as Cruachan IV got to work at Stirling Castle

Hiding them behind her back, an amused Queen explained that she’d seen it all before…

My turn, Paddington…

The whole world laughed when Her Majesty turned comedienne in the now-famous clip from her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2022. Fumbling in her handbag, she pulled out… comedy gold.

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Possibly the funniest moment in the Queen’s reign – when she roots in the famous handbag pulled a marmalade sandwich out of her handbag and pulls out a marmalade sandwich

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The scene was set in Buckingham Palace where her majesty was having tea with Paddington Bear

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Paddington was shocked when the sandwich appeared – as were the rest of us

The name’s Elizabeth, Elizabeth Rex

The marmalade sandwich moment was surpassed only by the Queen’s performance for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics when, to global astonishment, she joined James Bond – Daniel Craig – in a helicopter, and leapt out!

Sort of…

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Daniel Craig  as James Bond escorts the Queen through  the corridors of Buckingham Palace

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This scene was shown during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. the Queen is accompanied by Daniel Craig and, on the right, her aide ‘Tall’ Paul Whybrew

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James Bond and ‘Queen Elizabeth II ‘parachute into the stadium at the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony – in homage, of course, to the opening sequence of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Seven times late Queen Elizabeth charmed Britain and made us laugh