My career as the Queen’s lookalike might never have come about if I hadn’t come across an advert in the local paper in 1972. Stuck for ideas for my husband Ken’s birthday, I read about artist Jane Thornhill’s portrait-painting service and thought, “Why not?”
I loved the finished piece, and Jane asked if she could submit it for the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. They assumed the painting was of the Queen and contacted Buckingham Palace, who said she hadn’t given a sitting. As portraits in the exhibition had to be painted from life, Jane was disqualified.
When she arrived at the gallery to collect her work, she was pounced on by journalists. After that, my phone didn’t stop ringing – I was interviewed for newspapers, magazines and radio, and an agent said my resemblance to the Queen could be a money-spinner.
He wasn’t the first person to spot the likeness. On a trip to Greenwich when I was 11 or 12, a photographer asked if he could use me in some shots, saying, “She looks like Princess Elizabeth.” Later, I’d draw crowds, especially abroad, and sometimes had to run away.
The Queen and I were born only 18 months apart, and as we grew older our looks remained similar – though I’m slightly shorter. By the time the portrait provoked interest, I was in my 40s and my family had settled in a village near Chelmsford. Before I had children, I’d worked as an au pair and a typist, but I’d always wanted to act. I’d been in amateur productions, had elocution lessons and even passed an audition for Rada. But the fees were too expensive, plus my looks counted against me – no matter what role I took on, I’d hear comments from the audience, and sometimes even laughter.
But when the agent approached me, I realised there might be a way of making my resemblance to the Queen work in my favour. I signed with an agency that supplied models for ads. When I appeared in one with a stuffed corgi it caused controversy, with newspapers insisting the image was disrespectful to the royal family. But I’ve always been a staunch royalist and respect the Queen – I would never do anything that reflected badly on the monarch or myself. Over the years I’ve turned down large sums to pose for Page 3-type pictures, and insisted I should never be introduced as the Queen when making appearances. I don’t think anyone else had earned a living by resembling someone famous before – now there’s a whole industry.
Over the next 40 years, I appeared on TV chatshows, opened supermarkets, assisted magicians and shot adverts all over the world. Bands wanted me for music videos, and I handed out gifts with Liberace and presented a silver disc to the band Queen. The only time Ken was impressed was when he got to meet Muhammad Ali, who had requested a photograph with me.
Comedians such as Joan Rivers employed me to wave from the royal box when they were performing, and I finally started to get acting work. I worked with Sooty and Roland Rat, and I’m proud to have featured on Blue Peter. I sat in when the Spitting Image team were modelling their puppet of the Queen, and contributed to candid camera-type shows and skits for the Goodies, the Rutles and Spike Milligan, though I gave short shrift to Ali G when he asked me to drop my knickers as I got into a limousine.
Eventually Hollywood came calling. Mike Myers was lovely to me when I worked on Austin Powers, even after I mistook him for a member of the crew. Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley were charming when making Naked Gun. OJ Simpson was rude, though – some actors didn’t realise how hard I worked. I’d spent hours perfecting the Queen’s voice and mannerisms, and kept abreast of royal developments so I could reference them in my speeches.
Like the Queen, I’ve had to rein in my public appearances recently – if it wasn’t for my arthritis, I’d still be working. I retired in 2014, not long after the Queen appeared with Daniel Craig at the London Olympics. People have told me that until her face was revealed, they were expecting it to be me. I won’t be playing any part in her platinum jubilee party, either – I’m happy to watch it on TV like everyone else.
• As told to Chris Broughton
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