Trending
The Queen once played a prank on two American tourists who didn’t recognise her
The visitors had no idea what had hit them…
As Queen Elizabeth is laid to rest today, the country is coming together to remember her best moments from her seventy-year-reign on the throne.
Yet while many reflect on her many achievements while serving as head of state – modernising the monarchy, spearheading and bringing equality to Commonwealth states, and maintaining an unwavering loyalty to the British public – those closest to her have been recalling a somewhat different side to the beloved monarch.
While she was a reassuring and unwavering leader to most of us, those who knew her best are quick to recall her love of animals, the great outdoors and, perhaps most poignantly, her wicked sense of humour.
And one of the best examples of this wit comes courtesy of Her Majesty’s former protection officer Richard Griffin, who recently spoke of an encounter with two unsuspecting American tourists.
Speaking to Sky News shortly after the Queen’s passing, Griffin said he and the monarch had been hiking near the grounds of her estate in Balmoral, Scotland, when they came came across a pair of American tourists.
According to Griffin, these tourists were unaware they were in the presence of the Queen, who was wearing her tweeds and a headscarf instead of her signature colourful dresses and hats.
He said: “Normally on these picnic sites you’ll meet nobody. But there were two hikers coming towards us and the Queen would always stop and say hello.
“And it was two Americans on a walking holiday. And it was clear from the moment we first stopped they hadn’t recognised the Queen, which is fine.”
Griffin went on to recall that the tourists stopped for a chat with the Queen, telling her where they were from, where they were going to next and where they’d visited in Britain as part of their holiday.
The tourist then asked Her Majesty where she comes from, to which she replied casually: “Well I live in London but I’ve got a holiday home just the other side of the hills.”
Griffin recalled: “And he said ‘how often have you been coming here?’ Oh, she said, ‘I’ve been coming up here ever since I was a little girl, so over eighty years.
“He then said, ‘well if you’ve been coming up here for eighty years you must have met the Queen’.”
At this, the Queen hilariously replied: “Well I haven’t, but Dickie here meets her regularly.”
Griffin added: “The guy says to me, ‘you’ve met the Queen? What’s she like?’. I said, well she can be very cantankerous at times but she’s got a lovely sense of humour.
“The next thing I knew this guy comes around put his arm around my shoulder and before I see what was happening he gets his camera, gives it to the Queen and says can you take a picture?”
After the Queen took a photo of the tourists with Griffin, they then swapped places and got a photo with Her Majesty too.
Griffin added: “We never let on, and we waved goodbye and Her Majesty said to me ”I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he shows that [photograph] to his friends in America.'”
People were of course blown away by the story, with many taking to Twitter to express their amusement and, more importantly, their curiosity regarding the unsuspecting tourists.
One person wrote: “I would love to hear the other side from those tourists!! That’s a story you tell your grandkids!”, while another commented: “Love this story. I bet the Americans got the shock of their lives when they realised how she pulled their legs!!!”
A third noted: “What a great story, and it only points out what a wonderful lady she was. May she rest in peace”.
Trending
M&S is doing a Christmas piña colada cocktail and it’s on shelves now
This sounds pretty delicious!
M&S shoppers are raving over a festive cocktail that is a Christmas twist on a delicious summer classic, and it’s already on shelves.
Shoppers are going mad for the new festive ‘must have’ with one bargain hunter spotting it already stocked in her local Marks’, which she posted to social media.
The savvy shopper shared a snap of the luxurious gold and red bottle with an Art Deco logo, which quickly went viral with the post racking up over 1,000 likes.
The photo also shows the M&S Christmas Colada is on sale for £5.50 a bottle.
A festive twist on the classic piña colada, it’s flavoured with ‘pineapple juice, coconut milk, and warming spices with two measures of white rum’, and is sure to go down a treat this winter season.
The Christmas bargain was shared to the Snack News & Reviews Facebook page where users rushed to social media to share their excitement for the product, calling it a ‘must have’ as they also praised the price.
A great gift to bring along to Christmas dinner parties, shoppers say it is perfect for something to sip on throughout the season’s festivities.
One person wrote: “Defo getting this wee number for Christmas Day!” Another said: “Wow, two measures. I’ll have three bottles. What is everyone else drinking?”
While a third put: “Ooohhh yes. I can feel a few pre-Xmas party drinks at mine coming on.” And a fourth typed: “M&S pulling it out the bag again with their Christmas drinks!!”
Other users wondered whether M&S’ popular drinks ‘Let it Sloe’ and ‘Slow Fizz’ are back in stock again for the upcoming Christmas season.
It comes after one shopper urged people to head to their nearest M&S immediately as she was able to bag around £100 worth of shopping for just £16.
Victoria Evangeline posted a video on her TikTok saying: “M&S prices are a joke. They are ridiculous at the moment, you’ve got to see this.”
She went on to say M&S are getting rid of all their summer stock to make way for its Christmas range and that’s why some of its prices are so low – so best get down there asap!
Trending
Mysterious pink pigeon baffles locals after it’s spotted in Greater Manchester
The fuchsia feathered friend has been seen on the streets of Prestwich
A pink pigeon has been spotted in a town centre in Bury leaving residents speculating as to how it got its colour.
The fuchsia feathered creature has been seen around Prestwich, standing out from the rest of the grey pigeons, while eating food being given to it by locals.
Greater Manchester Police in Bury North tweeted that their officers on foot patrol around the centre also ‘came across a rare pink pigeon in the town centre’.
But people have been wondering how the bird came to be the hot pink hue, with many believing it may be via artificial means.
One resident asked in a post on Twitter: “Has anyone else seen this pink pigeon in Bury and does anyone know why it is pink?!”
In response, one commenter said: “I saw it on Monday. Apparently they release them at weddings.” Another put: “Yeah I saw it last week on the rock.”
A third person wrote: “Believe it was used in a gender reveal hence the hot pink. Seen several times.” And a fourth added: “When I worked in Miles Platting there were bright blue ones that had become dyed by the nearby paint factory.”
A spokesperson for the RSPCA told the Manchester Evening News: “We can’t be sure whether these birds have been deliberately covered in a pink substance, or whether they have fallen in something.
“If someone has intentionally painted the pigeon’s feathers this is very worrying as it could cause health problems, impair their ability to fly and make them more vulnerable to predators.
“Dye and paints can be toxic to birds and animals, and they would be likely to try to clean any such substance from their coat or feathers which could result in them swallowing it.”
Earlier this year, a pigeon was dyed pink for a gender reveal party in New York City before being discovered by animal rescuers.
Due to complications from the harmful and toxic chemicals in the dye, the bird – a white king pigeon – unfortunately died a week later.
Trending
Northern Lights set to be visible across Greater Manchester and parts of UK
Look up at the sky tonight, you might just see them
Met Office forecasters suggest the Northern Lights could be visible across Greater Manchester and parts of the UK tonight, and potentially again on Saturday.
The visually stunning phenomenon, known as the aurora borealis, could be visible to the naked eye along the northern horizon.
And stargazers across the North of England and Northern Ireland are in with a chance of being able to witness this spectacular display.
A minor enhancement to the aurora oval – which determines the range of polar lights – means the swirling colourful display of green, pink and purple hues may also be visible further south.
The Northern Lights are usually only visible over countries such as Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland, but can sometimes be seen from the UK.
Reports of sightings of the dazzling display have been coming in since Wednesday, from areas including Greater Manchester, Northumberland, the Lake District and even as far south as Cornwall.
They are set to be visible across skies tonight until Saturday.
The Met Office reports fast solar winds are expected and the Northern Lights could appear ‘most notably’ on Friday evening.
“With the associated increased geomagnetic activity the auroral oval is likely to extend south to become visible to the naked eye along the northern horizon from Scotland (where skies are clear) and perhaps briefly Northern Ireland and Northern England,” it continued.
On Saturday, skygazers in Scotland and Northern England could have another chance to glimpse the auroras thanks to another burst of plasma on the sun.
The Met Office added: “An expected Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on September 16th will bring further enhancement, with the auroral oval likely to extend south across northern Scotland, and be visible to the naked eye across northern horizons of Northern Ireland and perhaps Northern England.
“Any auroral enhancements expected to ease from September 17th.”
The lights are best seen in darkness, away from any light pollution, so those in the countryside and away from city lights have the best chance of seeing them.
According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, different gases determine what colours light up in the sky.
Nitrogen and oxygen are the primary gases in Earth’s atmosphere. Oxygen causes the green in the aurora, while purple, blue or pink hues are caused by nitrogen.
Find something to do in Manchester
Powered by 
Wetherspoons to close 11 more pubs across the country with 33 already gone
Police issue update in search for missing grandad, 81, from Oldham
Take That are coming to Co-op Live as part of huge UK tour
H&M Home is opening in Manchester city centre this weekend
M&S is doing a Christmas piña colada cocktail and it’s on shelves now
