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Queen’s ‘unbelievable’ question with startled look was ‘true sign of her character’
Ailsa Anderson, who served the Queen for more than 12 years from 2001, says her diligence during her record-breaking 70-year reign was matched only by her humour and sense of fun behind closed doors.
The former government adviser started on a three-year secondment to the Royal Household but ended up staying more than a decade to become the Queen’s press secretary.
She admits: “I came into the Household with a slightly cocky demeanour and an air of superiority – I’d worked for three government ministers and I thought this would be a piece of cake.
“But as soon as I was beside Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh it grabbed me by the heart and I understood quickly that hers was like no job on earth – it was a true vocation.”
During her time as an integral part of the Queen’s senior staff, Ailsa took a key role in many high-profile events – including two jubilees, the death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Prince George’s subsequent birth.