Queen Elizabeth II's Aussie aide exposes her secret hobby: 'Gutsy'

One of the Queen's most trusted aides was Aussie export Samantha Cohen, who worked with Her Majesty for 18 years. Ms Cohen first began working for the Queen's press office in Buckingham Palace, and worked her way up, becoming her communications secretary and later her assistant private secretary.

Cohen saw Her Majesty most days and went on to became one of her closest confidantes. Speaking of the Queen, Cohen tells The Sunday Times that she "was an incredible boss" who would go out of her way to accommodate Cohen's family.

She would have lunch and dinner with the Queen and Prince Philip daily while on duty with the royals at Sandringham, Balmoral or Windsor, revealing that Philip loved her Australian accent.

"He always used to say to me, 'Say "no",' and I’d say 'no' and he’d laugh. 'Say it again.' I’d say 'no'. He just couldn’t get over it," she shared.

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Speaking of her Australian tours, Cohen also said, "I think it was quite relaxing for her to be in Australia, because there was less protocol."

"At the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne [2006], someone just came up and gave her a hug. She liked our straightness. We laughed a lot."

The Queen's surprising hobby

While Cohen describes the Queen as "a shy person", who cherished her privacy and the sanctuary of Balmoral, she also shared that Her Majesty loved to drive fast, leaving any passengers feeling a little nervous.

"She was gutsy. She would drive her cars fast around Balmoral," Cohen added.

This surprising hobby might not be all that surprising to some, however.

In 1945, the then Princess Elizabeth was trained as a mechanic and undertook a driving and vehicle maintenance course after insisting on joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women's branch of the British Army, during World War II. So it makes sense that she was into cars and driving fast!

King George ensured that Elizabeth didn't have any special rank in the Army, however, she was able to return to Windsor Castle to sleep after spending her days at the training facility, rather than sleeping at the camp.

Speaking to the BBC in 1985, the Queen revealed that when the war ended, thousands took to the streets to celebrate, with Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret slipping into the crowds to enjoy the festivities.

"I remember we were terrified of being recognized so I pulled my uniform cap well down over my eyes," she said, describing the "lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, and all of us were swept along by tides of happiness and relief".

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She added, "I think it was one of the most memorable nights of my life."

The Queen was the first female member of the royal family to be an active duty member of the British Armed Forces.

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