THE QUEEN was once presented with a fake arm during a royal tour – and joked it was “just what she’d always wanted.”
The monarch, 93, was presented with the bizarre gift at a visit to an agricultural college during her 1970 tour of Australia.
She was joined by her daughter Princess Anne who recounted the story in an interview with Michael Parkinson a decade later.
Speaking on the Parkinson in Australia programme, Anne explained: “The Queen went to an agricultural college and I went along for the ride.
“There was still one or two noisy students about in those days, it was the end of the 60s. There was this slightly noisy group on our arrival and we all thought ‘I wonder what they’re up to.’
“Three of them pushed out of the crowd with this hand, it was a sort of stuffed glove for want of a better expression, and joint.
“And these three presented it to the Queen and I think they thought they were being rather daring and rather cheeky.”
The Princess Royal went on to reveal her mother’s rather unexpected reaction to the unusual gift.
She continued: “The Queen took it from them and said ‘thank you very much’ that is what I’ve always wanted.’
“Their faces literally dropped because that wasn’t quite the reaction that they’d expected and of course it is exactly what she’s always wanted when you’re sat you know…
Anne can then be seen miming the Queen’s famous royal wave before Michael asks if she had ever used the arm.
“Somehow it got lost” the Princess Royal replies, “somebody’s sense of humour didn’t stretch as far as us, we’ve never seen it again.”
The 69-year-old then asks the students to make them another arm if they are tuned in.
In other Queen news, we told you how the monarch was left needing three stitches after being bitten by one of her corgis in 1991.
Meanwhile we revealed Olivia Colman nicked some loo roll while visiting Buckingham Palace.
