The Queen has 'built tremendous arm muscles' from constantly waving at royal fans
She has one of the most unusual jobs in the world – and it seems the Queen has cultivated a unique set of skills for her important role.
In an upcoming documentary to celebrate her 95th birthday next month, Her Majesty's childhood friend Lady Pamela Hicks has revealed some of her favourite memories from her time as a lady-in-waiting.
Speaking in ITV's My Years With The Queen, she recalled that the monarch – who she refers to by her nickname "Lillibet" – developed "tremendous arm muscles" due to waving constantly at royal fans.
Recounting an old diary entry from the Australia tour in 1953, she said: "(Prince) Philip and Lillibet have to keep waving nearly all day long.
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"She’s developed tremendous muscles in her arms. Sitting still in a car, being yelled at and having to wave is part of the tour that Philip loathes."
In the same programme, Lady Hicks, 91, also shared how the Queen had managed to give royal watchers the slip during the same tour.
Reading again from her journal, she said: "I sat with Lillibet under a tree, listening to her holding forth about being marooned on a desert island.
"But she cheered up considerably when a boatload of trippers appeared shouting whether we had seen the Queen, where is she?
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"Lillibet, in slacks, tore down to the beach, pointed to the other side of the island and yelled: 'She went that-a-way' and jumped up and down with joy as the boat disappeared around the corner."
It comes after the Queen recently paid a Mother's Day tribute to "all mums" with a sweet photo shared to her official Instagram account.
The 94-year-old can be seen in the throwback black and white image as a child smiling while standing beside the late Queen Mother.
The caption to the post read: "To all Mums everywhere, we wish you a very special Mother’s Day. #MotheringSunday."
