Queen Elizabeth Made a Rare Mistake During a Visit to Eton

Queen Elizabeth II‘s professionalism continues to be talked about, particularly as the former monarch set the stage for the modern Royal Family. Despite appearing to be practically perfect in every way, the late Queen occasionally made mistakes. Case in point: one royal fan‘s gift caused her to make an extremely rare faux pas, and the moment was captured on camera.

On May 27, 2010, Queen Elizabeth visited Eton College to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Eton Combined Cadet Force. The Queen met with royal fans who’d gathered to greet her, including one young girl who handed the monarch a bunch of flowers.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth wasn’t able to grip the bouquet, and the flowers appeared to slip through her fingers. A royal aide quickly rushed to assist the monarch by picking up the gift, but not before photographers captured the moment.

Obviously, Queen Elizabeth rarely made mistakes in public. As a result, dropping the royal fan’s bouquet during a 2010 visit to Eton College was quite exceptional. As always, however, the late monarch handled the moment with grace, and if anything, seeing her make even a tiny faux pas only served to confirm her humanity.