Queen ‘loved it’ when things went wrong... it ‘spiced her life up’

QUEEN Elizabeth was known for rarely putting a foot wrong during her 70-year reign but she is said to have enjoyed it when things did not quite go according to plan.

One of her closest aides claimed the monarch revelled in mishaps at official engagements because it was a break from the norm.

Samantha Cohen, who worked as the late Queen’s press secretary for 17 years and then as her assistant private secretary, opened up on their relationship in an interview with an Australian newspaper.

She told The Herald Sun: “The Queen had no ego, she was so comfortable in herself, yet she loved it when things went wrong.

“If a cake was not cutting, or a plaque didn’t unveil, because everything was so perfectly organised, it spiced her life up when things went wrong.”

Ms Cohen, who left the royal household in 2019, also revealed the Monarch, who died in 2022, was open to using new tech to keep the Royals in the public eye.

She said the late Queen nicknamed her “Samantha Panther” for her no-nonsense work attitude and was impressed by her suggestion to launch a YouTube account for the Firm.

She said: “We did a mock up and showed the Queen what YouTube was.

“She said: ‘Fantastic’, she was up for it.” The account was launched in December 2007 and continues to showcase royal engagements and events, boasting more than 1.2million subscribers.

Ms Cohen said she later received calls from The Vatican and White House saying: “The Queen had a channel on YouTube before we did.”

The former royal aide, who saw the Queen almost daily, grew close to the monarch over the years.

She had her own bedroom at Windsor Castle and was invited to bring her family to Balmoral and also to Sandringham at Christmas. Ms Cohen said: “The Queen and I used to talk a lot. I miss her, she was a special woman. I loved, loved, loved the job as the Queen’s assistant private secretary.

“They were happy times because the Queen was in great form.”