Gyles Brandreth revealed the hilarious moment he shared with the late Queen (Image: Getty Images)Sign up to our free email to get all the latest royal news and picturesMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Sign up to our free email to get all the latest royal news and picturesInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy Notice Queen Elizabeth II is widely remembered for her longevity, her dedication to duty and, of course, her wicked sense of humour. It was her zest for life and love of making cheeky and unexpected quips that resulted in so many brilliant stories being shared about her long life. One of these anecdotes was recently shared by former MP and popular TV presenter, Gyles Brandreth. Speaking exclusively told OK! about his new partnership with Specsavers which has launched the ‘Misheard Manifesto’ – an amusing new campaign to correct common phrases the nation are mishearing – Gyles told us about his favourite interaction with the late monarch.
Gyles Brandreth is a close friend of the Royal Family, pictured here with King Charles
(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“My favourite memory of the late Queen has to be the time I had a funny time chatting to her about teddy bears,” Gyles says with a laugh. “I knew she loved Paddington Bear. Of course, we all know that. And she was born in the same year that Michael Bond (author of the Paddington Bear books) was born. So we talked about Paddington Bear, we talked about Winnie the Pooh – and then we talked about Rupert Bear. “The Queen told me that she had the Rupert Bear Annuals when she was growing up – and that Prince Charles, now King Charles, also liked Rupert.”
Queen Elizabeth was a fan of the Rupert books, according to Gyles
Seizing his opportunity to make the Queen laugh, Gyles continued: “But I then said to her, ‘Ah, now, did you know, Your Majesty, that some people think Rupert Bear isn’t a bear at all?’ She looked quite concerned. I said, ‘No. No, There are people who think that Rupert is actually a boy with a bear’s head’. “If you think of the pictures, it makes sense because Rupert has got fingers, he’s got hands and he’s wearing shoes. I said, Rupert is not a bear. Rupert is a boy with a bear’s head. And she looked at me with a beady eye and said, ‘There are some things in life. I think it’s better not to know!’” As well as being a friend to several members of the Royal Family – in particular with Queen Camilla as he works with her in many of the same literature-based charities – Gyles previously wrote a book on Queen Elizabeth II’s life.
Gyles is good friends with Queen Camilla
(Image: Doug Seeburg/The Sun/PA Wire)
One of the most widely reported claims from the 2022 book saw Gyles write about the Queen’s secret health battles. Despite her death being officially listed as old age, the author said that the monarch had a rare form of bone cancer, myeloma. He wrote: ”I had heard that the Queen had a form of myeloma — bone marrow cancer — which would explain her tiredness and weight loss and those ‘mobility issues’ we were often told about during the last year or so of her life. “The most common symptom of myeloma is bone pain, especially in the pelvis and lower back, and multiple myeloma is a disease that often affects the elderly. “Currently, there is no known cure, but treatment — including medicines to help regulate the immune system and drugs that help prevent the weakening of the bones — can reduce the severity of its symptoms and extend the patient’s survival by months or two to three years.”
Gyles also wrote about Queen Elizabeth’s relationship with her grandson, Prince Harry
(Image: Getty Images)
Elsewhere in the book, Gyles claimed that the Queen “understood” Prince Harry’s desire to write his memoir, Spare, as she knew he wanted to “speak his truth”. “The Queen, I know, was devoted to her grandson, Harry. She loved him, she thought him ‘huge fun’, and she truly wished him well in the new life he sought for himself in California,” Gyles wrote. “Whenever he called his grandmother, he was always put through to Her Majesty immediately. She even ‘understood’ his desire to write his book, not only for the money but because he wanted to tell his story – to speak his truth.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnQueen Elizabeth IIKing Charles IIIRoyal FamilyBuckingham Palace
