Celebs Queen Elizabeth Finds Annoying
The British Monarchy is a specific type of ruling system known as a "constitutional monarchy" (via the royal family's website). What this means is that whomever is at the top of the monarchy's hierarchy (i.e. the "Sovereign") is considered the "Head of State" and "ruler" of the lands, as well as the people, that make up the kingdom. Nevertheless, the British Sovereign currently has no political or executive power with which to make or carry out legislation. The Sovereign is charged with performing various ceremonial roles that help keep the wheels of government moving (such as annually opening Parliament) and acting as the "face" of the U.K. through numerous public appearances and holding meetings with various world leaders and others whose accomplishments are deemed worthy of an audience with the monarch.
As a result, since her ascension to the throne on February 6, 1952 (via the royal family's website), Queen Elizabeth II has had countless opportunities to rub elbows with famous people of all stripes from all corners of the globe. For the most part, the queen has come off as not merely polite, but also friendly and welcoming. However, there have been times when the queen's demeanor or words have suggested that she isn't exactly enjoying an interaction, or that she finds a particular celebrity annoying.
Here are the celebs that Queen Elizabeth would appear to find annoying.
Jackie Kennedy
If you've seen "The Crown," you may recall the episode in which Queen Elizabeth hosts Mr. and Mrs. John F. Kennedy for dinner at Buckingham Palace, only to learn afterwards that the First Lady had found her "incurious, unintelligent, and unremarkable" and the palace "second-rate, dilapidated, and sad." However, let us not forget that "The Crown" is fact-based fiction. Sure, it's possible that Jackie was unimpressed by the queen's sense of style. It's also possible that the queen might have sensed the same or heard it through the grapevine (via NBC News). Certainly, this would present good reason for Her Majesty to feel annoyed by the American celeb. However, there's no evidence to suggest that's the way things actually went. That being said, it's quite possible the queen found Jackie Kennedy annoying — but for other reasons.
According to author Sarah Bradford's Jackie Kennedy biography, "America's Queen," in the days leading up to the dinner, the queen had been pressured into also extending an invitation to Mrs. Kennedy's sister, Lee Radziwill, despite having had reservations about doing so, partially because of Mrs. Radziwill's status as a divorcee, according to Town & Country. "But the Queen 'had her revenge,' at least according to Jackie's friend, writer Gore Vidal," Town & Country noted. As that story goes, the queen made a point of not inviting the two people whom Mrs. Kennedy had specifically requested be included at the dinner, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark and the queen's own sister, Princess Margaret.
Diana, Princess of Wales
On August 31, 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in Paris. In the days that followed, Queen Elizabeth remained in Balmoral with her grandsons and spoke to no members of the media as many around the world were reacting with understandable shock (via ABC News). The queen was criticized as a result, her reticence being blamed on years of resentment over the marital discord between Diana and His Royal Highness Prince Charles, not to mention Diana's having aired personal grievances she had with Charles and the royal family to journalists such as Martin Bashir (via Fox News). However, according to Ingrid Seward, author of the book, "The Queen and Di," the queen's silence was reflective of her grief over the terrible loss, as opposed to bad blood between her and her former daughter-in-law (via Reader's Digest).
In fact, the queen "sympathized with" and "had a great personal fondness for" Diana, according to Royal author Matthew Dennison (via Fox News). However, that does not mean that the queen did not find herself, at times, annoyed or at least put off somewhat by Diana, not to mention her emotions and how she chose to express them. Seward reports that Diana paid regular visits to the queen in which she cried "nonstop," and in time, the queen came to "dread" the meetings. Further, Dennison thinks the queen had trouble understanding why Diana might "say or do things that would jeopardize the institution that she'd married into."
Vladimir Putin
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the U.K.'s "Head of State," but the terms of the U.K.'s constitutional monarchy require that she remain strictly neutral with regard to all political matters, according to the royal family's official website, which points out that "the Queen does not vote or stand for election." Nevertheless, Express reports that in 2003, the queen was said to have expressed disdain for Russian President Vladimir Putin during his historic visit to the U.K. — it was the first official state visit to the U.K. from Russia in 125 years — albeit probably not to his face.
As the story goes, Lord David Blunkett, who was the U.K. Home Secretary at the time of Putin's visit, and who has been blind since birth, gets around with the help of a guide dog (via the Library at Staffordshire University). During a 2019 episode of the BBC's "Any Questions" program, Lord Blunkett recalled how his then-guide dog, Sadie (via CBBC Newsround), reacted to meeting President Putin — by barking loudly. And "very" loudly at that, according to Blunkett. So loudly, in fact, that Blunkett felt obliged to apologize afterwards to the queen. And what does Blunkett recall was the queen's response? "Dogs have interesting instincts, don't they?"
But it's not clear what, in particular, the queen finds annoying about Putin.
Meghan Markle
No one would deny the bad blood between Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her granddaughter-in-law, Meghan Markle, who is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and retains the Duchess of Sussex title despite the fact that she and Harry have moved to the U.S. and taken a "break" from their royal family duties. At the very least, Markle's apparent interest in politics would likely be somewhat vexing for the queen, whose role requires her to remain neutral on political issues, a requirement that extends to the rest of the royal family as well (via the royal family's website). As recently as October 20, 2021, Markle was known to have written directly to U.S. Senate leaders Charles Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, "urging" them to pass legislation requiring paid leave for working parents, at least during the pandemic (via The Overtimer). The letter has prompted some royal fans and supporters to call for the duchess to be stripped of her title.
Whether the queen will do that remains to be seen, but it is becoming clear that Queen Elizabeth II has had numerous reasons to be annoyed by Meghan Markle. Markle has openly accused the royal family of racism, and blamed the treatment she received from the royal family and press for contributing to her thoughts of suicide. For her part, the queen has proclaimed her sadness over her lack of connection with her great-grandson Archie (and presumably, her newborn great-granddaughter Lilibet), according to royal expert Ingrid Seward (via The Sun).
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Various world leaders
Back in mid-October, a little more than one week before health concerns caused Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to announce that she would not travel to Glasgow, Scotland to attend the COP25 climate conference, the queen was heard expressing what sounded like annoyance at some of the world leaders who had, as of then, not yet committed to attending the conference. Specifically, on October 15, while on a visit to Cardiff, Wales, to open the Welsh parliament, Queen Elizabeth II was filmed — apparently unbeknownst to her — as she spoke with her daughter-in-law Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Welsh parliament presiding officer Elin Jones, about the COP25 conference (via USA Today).
"I've been hearing all about COP," the queen was heard saying, adding, "I still don't know who's coming." Although some portions of the resulting recording are "inaudible," USA Today points out that the queen appears to be saying that it is "irritating" when world leaders "talk," but "don't do." The queen was not heard mentioning specific names, but it has been speculated that she was talking about China's Xi Jinping, among others. When asked for comment, Buckingham Palace declined, but one government minister, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, pointed out that whatever the queen had said "had not been intended for broadcast."
Donald Trump
There could be any number of reasons why someone might find former U.S. President Donald Trump to be "annoying." However, it would appear that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has her own unique reason, and it happens to be personal. During a June 2019 visit with the queen in connection with D-Day commemorations, President Trump did permanent damage to one of the queen's "prized possessions," according to Express. That prized possession was the Buckingham Palace lawn. Apparently, the Sunday Times reported that Trump "insisted on flying into Buckingham Palace by helicopter twice in one day." Of course, the palace lawn was not meant to serve as a helicopter landing pad, and, accordingly, the helicopter left "scorch marks and craters in the grass."
According to Express, the next day, when Australian prime minister Scott Morrison paid a visit to the queen, also in connection with D-Day, the queen brought him into the gardens to show him what Trump had done. "Come and look at my lawn. It's ruined," a source close to Morrison says the queen said to Morrison. Nor was this the first time that the queen was heard deriding Trump's helicopter usage. One year earlier, in the documentary, "Queen's Green Planet," the queen was captured on film, joking around with Sir David Attenborough that the sound of a noisy aircraft above reminded her of Trump (via Isle of Wight County Press).
Mick Jagger
In 2003, Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger, was knighted as "Sir Michael Philip Jagger" after having been nominated by then-prime minister, Tony Blair, according to Rolling Stone. At the time, Rolling Stone reported that Jagger received this high honor from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II herself at her birthday celebration in June. However, Rolling Stone's account of this event is not entirely accurate because the queen was not present at the knighting ceremony, according to CheatSheet. Rather, she was at the hospital, undergoing knee surgery. Moreover, as CheatSheet points out, the queen may, in fact, have chosen that specific date for her surgery for the express purpose of giving herself an excuse to not be on hand at the ceremony.
Apparently, the queen had numerous reasons to oppose Jagger's nomination by Blair, an admitted ardent fan of Jagger and the Rolling Stones. These include Jagger's apparent disinterest in charitable causes — despite his "massive personal fortune," his having lived abroad since the early 1970s, his having fathered seven children by four different women, and the fact that Jagger had been outspoken on multiple occasions regarding his disdain for the queen (whom he supposedly referred to as "chief witch") and the monarchy in general, according to the Daily Mail). But what may really have been "at the core of the Queen's distaste for Jagger" according to the Daily Mail, was the scandalous nature of Jagger's relationship with her "free-spirited younger sister," Princess Margaret.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth is supposed to remain neutral on political topics (via the royal family's official website). However, it appears that the queen may have had a difficult time remaining neutral during the 11 years in which the late politician Margaret Thatcher served as British prime minister, according to the Associated Press. The AP cited a report by the Sunday Times, which suggested that the queen had been "dismayed by many policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher." However, the queen's feelings about Thatcher, who served from 1979 until 1990, were "complicated," according to Biography, and not just because of their differences in opinion on governmental matters, but also because of personal tensions that arose between the two women during their weekly scheduled meetings to discuss governmental matters.
The meetings, which would often begin with Thatcher arriving early and the queen making Thatcher wait, were "rarely productive," according to the Thatcher biographer Charles Moore, who noted that the queen made the prime minister nervous. Nor did it help that the women did not share the same sense of humor (the queen is known for her "dry wit," whereas Thatcher "didn't have much of a sense of humor"), or that Thatcher tended to "go on and on" during their meetings. In 2015, "The Queen and Mrs. Thatcher: An Inconvenient Relationship" went so far as to say that the queen would sometimes "mock Thatcher's accent."
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
In July 1986, the second-born son of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew, married Sarah Ferguson, aka "Fergie," in a lavish Westminster Abbey ceremony (via Mirror Online). "In the year since her wedding, the rambunctious redheaded Duchess of York has charmed the Queen," wrote Vanity Fair in 1987. Indeed, the queen and Fergie seemed to share a close bond. That bond began to crumble, however, when the Yorks announced their separation in 1992, according to Express. "The Queen was not only saddened by the break-up of the marriage, she was also angry at the way the Duchess handled the issue," according to the 2019 documentary, "Royals at War" (via Express). But that was just the beginning.
Just a few months later, intimate photographs emerged, suggesting Fergie's romantic involvement with an American businessman (via CheatSheet). Even worse, the photographs showed what appeared to be the businessman sucking on Fergie's toes — in front of Fergie and Andrew's then-4-year-old daughter, Princess Beatrice. Like other members of the royal family, the queen was scandalized by the photographs, according to Express. However, the queen was reportedly so "furious" with Fergie that she demanded that Fergie leave the royal family compound in Balmoral immediately (via CheatSheet).
Apparently, the queen's disgust and annoyance with Fergie did not abate until at least 2013 (via Express). What is unclear is whether their renewed relationship will continue in the wake of Prince Andrew's resignation from the royal family (via New Idea Magazine).
Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall
When His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall, married his longtime love, Camilla Parker Bowles, in 2005, one royal who was notably not in attendance was Charles' mother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The "official reason" was that the marriage went against the tenets of the Church of England. "The Queen has let it be known that the reason she will not be attending the wedding of Prince of Wales is because she is putting her duties as the head of the Church of England before family feelings," wrote journalist Andrew Alderson for The Telegraph in 2005 (via Express). Specifically, the queen felt that her position as the head of the Church of England precluded her from attending any wedding between two divorcees whose extramarital affair had contributed to the breakup of both of their marriages.
However, a 2018 biography of Prince Charles by Tom Bower, "Rebel Prince: The Power and Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles," suggests that while the queen's church-related concerns were legitimate, the "real" issue may have been the queen's annoyance with Camilla herself, as well as the couple's extra-marital antics (via People). As Bower writes, one night, after several martinis, the queen told Charles in no uncertain terms that she could never forgive Camilla for interfering in Charles' marriage, going so far as to call Camilla "wicked." All of that being said, the queen has since gone on to "soften her stance" on Camilla and the Cornwall marriage.
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin was the first President of Russia, serving from 1991 until 1999, a mere eight-year span within Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's now near-70 years on the throne. In 1992, just one year into his term, Yeltsin paid a visit to London, and while he was there, he got a bit "tactile" with the queen, according to formerly classified government papers from the 1980s and 1990s (via the Daily Mail). Specifically, on two occasions, Yeltsin was observed trying to grab the queen's arm. On another, he tried to encircle the queen's waist.
Needless to say, this did not go over well with either the queen or anyone who witnessed Yeltsin's faux pas. "The monarch skillfully sidestepped [Yeltsin's] attentions," wrote the Daily Mail, and palace officials "suggested" that, going forward, Russian nationals calling upon the queen should be advised that she is not to be "handled" physically. In later years, the queen could be heard doing impressions of Yeltsin (as well as Margaret Thatcher), according to Vanity Fair.