Fact #20 - Answer

Yep, being the queen has many perks, one of which is a stand-in who will make sure you won’t get blinded by the sun at big public events.

Her name is Ella Slack. She is a similar height and stature to the British Monarch. One day she was working at the BBC, who was televising the Cenotaph, and had a conversation with the producer that went something like this:

Producer: The Queen sent me a message, and I was wondering if you’d be able to help.

Ella: Oh really, what did she say?

Producer: She said that, when she stood at the Cenotaph, the sun was in her eyes, and could I do anything about it?

Ella: I’m good at my job, but I don’t think I’ll be able to move the sun.

Producer: Yes, but you’re around the same height as Queen Elizabeth, right?

Ella: Well, I suppose I am, but what’s your point?

Producer: How would you like to, you know, pretend to be her in the rehearsal, so we know if we need to put up the royal umbrella?

She accepted the job because, well, why wouldn’t you? She went on to ride in the Royal Carriage, go on boat rides up to the Tower of London, squat above the throne at the State Opening of Parliament and even stand on the Royal Balcony and do some waving.

And the most amazing thing of all is that she refused any payment for being the ‘Rehearsal Queen’. Instead, she described it as her honour and privilege to be the Royal Human Sunshade.

Learn more about the longest reigning English Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II:

The Queen’s full official title is “Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.”
The Queen was born at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, which is now a fancy Cantonese restaurant called Hakkasan (so, I hope she likes takeaways!)
She owns an elephant, two giant turtles, a jaguar and a pair of sloths. They were all presents from other countries, and all of them now live in London Zoo.
On a trip to Scotland, she met some American tourists while out walking. When the tourists asked if she lived locally, she mentioned she had a ‘house’ nearby, and when asked if she’d ever met the Queen, she simply pointed at her butler and said, “No, but he has!”