Queen Elizabeth Had ‘No Ego,’ Says Former Private Secretary
Queen Elizabeth was the longest-ruling monarch in the United Kingdom’s history. She could have been one of the royal family’s most pretentious members due to her status but she was quite the opposite. Her former assistant private secretary reveals the monarch had “no ego.”
The queen’s assistant private secretary claims the monarch was ‘shy’ with ‘no ego’
Queen Elizabeth’s former assistant private secretary, Samantha Cohen, revealed to The Sunday Times that the monarch was “shy” with “no ego.” She spoke with candor about the monarch, whom she worked with for 18 years in total.
“It always struck me that in a world of celebrity, where we had all sorts of celebrities coming into the palace, the Queen was the antithesis of celebrity,” she says. “She was the maestro and understood this was her role. She took it very seriously and performed it to perfection.”
Cohen continued, “But she knew it was separate to her as a person. She was never intoxicated by the allure, never showed off, was never tempted to preen. I loved that so much about her because she had no ego.”
The dichotomy of Queen Elizabeth: ‘Gutsy’ and a ‘family woman’
For those closest to Queen Elizabeth, they couldn’t help but be struck by the multifaceted nature of her personality. The monarch could be at times tough and “gusty” but at the same time, nurturing “family woman.”
Samantha Cohen shared that working for the queen was always an adventure. She never knew what side of her would come out to play.
Elizabeth was at heart devoted to her family. Prince Philip first, followed by her children Princess Anne, then Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward.
However, she was a nurturer, always looking for an opportunity to take care of people. While she had a staff ready and waiting to serve her in whatever way possible, Elizabeth often took on small tasks herself.
“She wanted to be a family woman [as well the Queen]. It was important to her,” Cohen says. “She loved hosting everybody for summer [at Balmoral], allocating the rooms, and checking them herself.”
Cohen added that on the other hand, Elizabeth could be a risk-taker. She called her “gutsy” and often would “drive her cars fast around Balmoral” much to the chagrin of her passengers.
For her years of service to the royal family, Samantha Cohen was honored with an OBE
In 2016, Samantha Cohen was made a commander of the Royal Victorian Order, and pinned by Queen Elizabeth herself. The award recognized her years of personal service to the monarch. In 2023, she received an OBE. An OBE is the second highest-ranking Order of the British Empire award.
Her family was so close with the monarch that in 2016, Cohen’s son Thomas Halle was one of Elizabeth’s pages at the state opening of parliament. After her employment with the queen ended, continued working for the palace.
Cohen transitioned into the role of private secretary for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, a position she held until October 2019. In 2020, she was enlisted to assist the couple during a transitory period called the “Sandringham Summit” where Harry, Meghan, and the royal family tried to manage a seamless transition for the couple from their senior royal rules to private life.
Samantha Cohen no longer works for the royal family in any official capacity.
