As far as bosses go, there are perhaps few quite as memorable as Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and the late monarch was apparently also known for making kind gestures toward her palace staff. Following her recent death at the age of 96, many of those who worked for the late Queen, whether that be at Buckingham Palace or Balmoral, will no doubt be recalling their own personal happy memories of the long-standing monarch.
Although famously quite a private person despite her high profile position, we can gain a little insight into Queen Elizabeth's temperament through the various kind gestures she bestowed upon palace staff members over the course of her long and eventful reign.
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1. Queen Elizabeth crashes protection officer's retirement party
Speaking on Sky News, former royal protection officer Richard Griffin opened up about how the Queen "gatecrashed" his retirement party, after he hadn't thought to invite her. Queen Elizabeth had told one of Richard's colleagues, Colin, how she would have "loved to have gone" to the farewell bash, but sadly hadn't received an invite.
Griffin recalled: "So Colin said, 'your Majesty, of course, you can go, it's your party, and what an honour that would be if you turn up. '
"And she said, 'so it would be ok if I just gatecrash it?' and lovely it was, her Majesty, Prince Philip, and the Earl of Wessex all turned up to my retirement party which I must admit was probably one of the thrills of my career.
"It was wonderful to be able to introduce the Queen, I mean my children and my wife had obviously met her previously but none of my wider family had, so that was a fantastic way to finish off my career working with her."
2. The Queen surprises staff with prizes at sports day
In an updated version of her book, The Other Side of the Coin, the Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly recalled how Her Majesty had left staff speechless after making a surprise appearance at a sports day at Windsor Home Park.
Staff enjoyed an afternoon of rounders, relay races, and water balloon fights, keeping refreshed with champagne and biscuits sent by the Queen herself. However, the greatest part of the day was when the Queen's Range Rover pulled up "quietly and discreetly", with the monarch making a surprise entrance.
Kelly wrote: "Little did the staff know that The Queen had actually arrived earlier and had been watching, hidden behind the bushes. The prizes were awarded and each team member came forward to receive their award and congratulations from The Queen.
"The astonishment on their faces was so lovely to watch, and as The Queen drove away in her Range Rover afterward, everyone was speechless. An amazing day that will be cherished by all those who were there."
3. Her Majesty made sure her 'right-hand woman' can remain at Windsor after her death
Before her death, the Queen made sure her dresser and 'right-hand woman' Angela Kelly would be allowed to remain at her "grace-and-favour" home at Windsor, as a reward for her many years of service.
At the end of a monarch's reign, palace staff usually have one month's notice to find work elsewhere, or else be redeployed to another Royal household. However, as reported by the Mail on Sunday, it was the Queen's wish that Kelly remain in her Windsor home.
An insider told the publication: "The Queen was very clear that she was close to Angela and wanted to look after her people."
The pair were said to be very close, and could often be heard laughing away together. In the Queen's final months, Kelly even moved into Windsor Castle to assist Her Majesty as she dealt with her mobility issues.
4. The Queen would treat staff to a Christmas pudding each every year
Christmas is a time for giving, and the Queen would make sure none of her staff were left out. In his book, Christmas with the Queen, royal biographer Brian Hoey revealed Her Majesty would give out around 1,500 Christmas puddings each festive season, plus greeting cards, gifts, and book vouchers.
According to Hoey, since the very beginning of her reign, Queen Elizabeth would personally hand over the gifts herself, with staff members getting dressed up in their finest for the occasion.
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