Following the very sad passing of her husband, Prince Philip, the Queen has understandably been keeping a slightly lower profile than usual as she mourns her loss. That's not to say she hasn't been carrying out some official duties (on the 27 April she held virtual Audiences with incoming global Ambassadors), but rather that no videos of said duties have been shared – until now.
A new video of Her Majesty has been uploaded to the Royal Family's official Instagram account and shows the Queen looking happy as she recalls her memories of achieving a Life Saving Award with the Royal Life Saving Society in 1941, at the tender age of 14.
When asked to share a memory from that time that particularly stands out, the Queen replied, "It was all done in the Bath Club, in the swimming pool and I suppose I didn’t really actually realise what I was doing because I was only twelve or something…"
She then paused and said, "Twelve or fourteen? It’s a very long time ago I’m afraid, it's terrible!" before smiling and adding, "I think it’s changed a lot."
Her Majesty then looked chuffed and surprised to learn that she was in fact the first ever recipient of the award.
"I didn’t realise I was the first one, I just did it and had to work very hard for it," she explained. "But it was a great achievement and I was very proud to wear the badge on the front of my swimming suit."
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The accompanying video shared on social media also features pictures of the Queen from that time and in one, she can be seen undergoing her training and attempting to rescue another young woman from the pool. Her Majesty is then shown proudly wearing her medal, pinned to her swimming costume.
Comments from royal enthusiasts underneath the post include, "What hasn't the queen done. Amazing woman 💖🌟", "The smile at the end was the highlight" and "So lovely to hear HM ❤️ Thank you for your hard work and your dedication".
The Queen will be carrying out her first in-person public duty since Philip's passing today, as she'll make an appearance at a scaled-back State Opening of Parliament. She will be supported at the event by Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall.
Our thoughts remain with the Royal Family after their recent loss.
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
