Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were both known for their wit, so it’s completely unsurprising that the pair used to play practical jokes on one another. And according to two separate royal biographers, one such prank involved the late Queen wearing a fake beard.
In her book Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles, royal author Catherine Mayer revealed a hilarious moment in which Queen Elizabeth shocked Prince Philip.
“When the couple reunited ahead of a joint state visit to Portugal, [Philip] found [Elizabeth] and her entourage wearing false beards, mimicking the real one he had grown,” Mayer shared. “Nothing says a relationship is on track like the ability to make each other laugh.”
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Prince Philip with a beard and Lt. Commander Michael Parker during a visit to Gambia, West Africa in February 1957.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Catherine Mayer
Divide and Rule
Broadcaster and writer Gyles Brandreth shared his own account of the incident involving the late Queen’s fake beard in the book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait.
“They were reunited at Lisbon’s military airport,” the author wrote. “The scene was a memorable one.”
Brandreth continued, “During part of the tour, Philip had grown a full set of naval whiskers. Photographs of the bearded Adonis had found their way back to London.”
Not missing a trick, Queen Elizabeth hatched quite the plan to surprise her husband.
Per Brandreth, “When Philip, now clean-shaven in anticipation of the state visit to Portugal, bounded up the steps of The Queen’s plane in Lisbon, he was greeted by an extraordinary sight: his wife and her entire entourage, sitting in their seats, all sporting false ginger beards!”
Gyles Brandreth
Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait
The author shared that the Royal Family “is a family that is fond of practical jokes,” and it seems Queen Elizabeth was often the ringleader.
Per Brandreth, “Minutes later, when the royal couple emerged from the plane, both were beaming, and an eagle-eyed reporter, with a sentimental streak, was sure he spotted a tell-tale smudge of lipstick on the duke’s cheek.”
