What Queen Elizabeth Was Really Like Behind Closed Doors, According To Her Former Aide

When Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September 2022, it broke the hearts of many adoring fans. As the longest-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom for more than 70 years, she was loved and respected by not only Britons, but so many more from all over the world. As busy as she was as the reigning queen of the U.K., she had a great deal of behind-the-scenes help from many royal aides who helped her grace the public with her best self. Some of these royal aides would become her most trusted confidants for years and years, like Samantha Cohen.

Cohen served as the late queen's royal aide for nearly 18 years and witnessed her daily private life and routines. Two years after Queen Elizabeth's passing, in October 2024, Cohen offered an inside look at the late queen's private life and gave a peek into the queen's down-to-earth and witty personality in an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times. In the interview, the royal aide shared that one of her fondest memories with the late queen was spending time at Sandringham, the Norfolk private residence of Queen Elizabeth, where she would spend much of her off-duty time. "Sandringham was lovely because we were given a cottage, so we'd bring the dog ... The Queen was remarkably kind and would give us all Christmas presents, handwriting the tags," recalled Cohen.

Above all, Cohen remembers the queen as someone who was professional and took her role very seriously, but behind it all was a lovely woman who "never showed off, was never tempted to be preen," and "had no ego."

Royal followers are well aware of Queen Elizabeth's love for horses and horseback riding. She loved the activity so much that despite being advised against it, she went back to riding for as long as she could. However, was anyone aware the queen was an absolute "gutsy" speed queen?

In the exclusive interview, Samantha Cohen also remembered the queen for her "gutsy" way of driving which would often terrify passengers. "She would drive her cars fast around Balmoral," recounted the royal aide. The queen sounds like she really knew how to enjoy life behind the scenes.

As mentioned above, Cohen was Queen Elizabeth's royal aide for nearly two decades. She was also asked by the queen to work for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and lend them her years of expertise as Meghan adjusted to her new life as a royal. While her lips remain sealed about her 18 months of working with Prince Harry and Meghan, Cohen did confirm to the Herald-Sun that she was one of the ten individuals on staff interviewed regarding allegations of Markle bullying a number of staff members. Although Cohen has moved on from the royal family, the many years she worked for the queen remains her absolute favorite job.