Has Queen Elizabeth II Ever Cried in Public?
Queen Elizabeth II has been on the throne for more than 65 years and as part of Britain’s most recognizable family has spent most of her life in the spotlight. During her reign, she’s seen and experienced plenty of ups and downs but doesn’t also show a ton of emotion which has some royal fans wondering if she’s ever cried in public.
Read on to find out if the queen has always maintained a stiff upper lip or shed a few tears, plus how she and Prince Philip plan to handle themselves when it’s time to say their final goodbye to each other.
Does the queen cry?
If you watched season 3 of the Netflix series The Crown then you might think Queen Elizabeth doesn’t cry in public, however, that’s not the case.
In one episode actress Olivia Colman, who plays the monarch, revealed that her character faked her tears in front of a crowd during a visit to Aberfan following the mining disaster in 1966.
The Daily Mail reported that a number of viewers weren’t happy with how the queen was portrayed in that particular episode including then-Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s press secretary Joe Haines. He called the narrative “absolute nonsense” and said, “Anyone who saw her at The Cenotaph knows that.”
When Queen Elizabeth has cried in public
Hello! noted that royal family matriarch has cried in public on a few occasions.
One time the monarch was visibly upset was in 1997 when the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned.
Another time Queen Elizabeth was spotted wiping away tears was in 2002 at the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey.
She was also moved to tears in 2016 when she attended a service for fallen soldiers of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment.
How the queen and Philip plan to handle their final goodbye
While it’s not something anyone likes to think about the palace already has a protocol in place for when either Queen Elizabeth or her husband have to say their final goodbye to each other. According to insiders and royal experts, the queen and Prince Philip don’t plan on showing too much emotion, at least not publicly, when that day comes.
“They will be stiff upper lip in public and keep their own emotions behind it,” a former staffer previously told People, adding that they will turn to their faith to get them through the difficult time. “They are both deeply religious people and it won’t take them by surprise.”
Royal historian Robert Lacey agreed and explained that “Their life together has always been built on regular separations. They are not a soppy couple.”
