As monarch, Queen Elizabeth knew what was expected of her, and very rarely stepped out of line. In his book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, author Gyles Brandreth, a longtime friend of the Royal Family, explored the many facets of the late Queen’s personality. Even though the monarch was actually very reserved, the biographer revealed she did have a more cheeky side.
After showing a draft of his book to TV personality and historical advisor Alastair Bruce, who shared a warm relationship with the late Queen, Brandreth wrote that Bruce thought he’d missed out on one key trait of Queen Elizabeth’s. “Her shyness,” he said. “She really was very shy—and used talking about her dogs and her horses to deflect from her shyness.”
