I was really shocked this week to read that one of the most exciting things Her Majesty has ever done is a bout of duty free shopping.
I mean, I know getting a 30 per cent discount is a bit of a buzz, but I would have thought getting an invite to Kate and Will’s wedding would have at least pipped it to the post.
I don’t know if I’m the only one that missed it, but it appears a few years ago when the Royal plane was refuelling in Singapore Her Majesty got the chance to wander around the duty free shops just like everyone else.
Although when I say ‘just like everyone else’, it’s worth bearing in mind there were one or two body guards with her, someone to carry her shopping and someone else whose sole job appeared to be to hand over a card to pay for the shopping.
Still, in theory it probably was almost as close as The Queen would ever get to doing something ‘normal’. They say she absolutely relishes the chance to experience some of the more mundane ‘day-to-day’.
You know, fun things like driving the kids to school, queuing at a supermarket, realising you’ve left your purse in the car, or the sheer thrill of coming back to it only to find a bright yellow parking ticket plastered across the windscreen.
But I guess when you’ve got 775 rooms in your house, double checking all the windows are closed just in case it rains while you’re out kind of makes getting out the front door to do your weekly shop a bit difficult.
Maybe I’m just a sentimental fool, but I’d like to imagine that occasionally Ma’am does get the chance to nip out with a scarf over her head to secretly rub shoulders with the likes of you and I.
First off I’d love to know she’s had a chance to get a photo standing in front of her own front gates. I’d also like to think she’s secretly nipped out for a spin on The London Eye, before moving on to visit Madame Tussauds to get her photo taken beside someone really famous.
I’d also like to imagine that on the way there she detoured via a Burger King to pick up a Chicken Royale burger and dropped into HMV to buy a few early Christmas presents like the new Prince CD, before capping off the evening with a quick West End show.
Something like Priscilla Queen of the Desert or Queen’s We Will Rock You.
The list of everyday activities a roving Royal could experience is endless! Fortunately for you, though, the space to fit them in this column isn’t.
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