Queen once 'shrieked with laughter' at a very rude joke royal aides tried to stop her hearing

Queen Elizabeth II attends QICPO British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse on October 19, 2019 in Ascot, England.
(Image credit: Getty Images / Max Mumby/Indigo)

The Queen once howled with laughter at a very cheeky joke that palace aides tried to prevent her hearing, according to a royal insider.

The Queen is beloved for her cheeky and surprising sense of humour, even being known to pull naughty pranks on staff by pretending to sack them. It was also recently reported that she joked about never wearing nude because no one would recognise her.

Now a royal insider has detailed the moment royal aides tried to prevent Sir Donald Gosling from telling Her Majesty the end of a rather rude joke.

Queen Elizabeth II watches her horse 'Balmoral Fashion' compete in the Fell Class on day 3 of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Home Park on May 15, 2015 in Windsor, England.

The royal source told MyLondon that the Queen “would relish seeing Don [Sir Donald Gosling] because she would know he always had a fresh supply of jokes, but his sense of humor was pretty salty".

The joke that panicked palace officials involved horses, one of the Queen's favourite animals, and despite them trying to intervene, the source said the Queen insisted on hearing the punchline.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh react as they bid farewell to Irish President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina (not pictured) at the end of their official visit at Windsor Castle on April 11, 2014 in Windsor, United Kingdom.

They explained, "Don was in full flow telling her his latest joke - involving a horse trainer giving Viagra to a runner in the 2.30 at Newton Abbott. 

"The Minister put up his hand and stopped Don, obviously thinking the Queen shouldn’t be exposed to such ribaldry."

The source continued, "Her Majesty was furious - and berated poor Mulley for ruining the joke. She made Don tell the whole joke all over again, and shrieked with laughter at the punchline, which was about the horse winning against stiff competition or something like that."

The Queen isn’t the only royal known for their wit. Her late husband, Prince Philip would frequently make the Queen laugh by telling dry jokes, including once telling her to abdicate.

Naomi Jamieson
Lifestyle News Writer

Naomi is a Lifestyle News Writer with the Lifestyle team and has recently earned her Gold Standard Diploma in Journalism from the NCTJ. She has a background in design, having studied Illustration at Plymouth University but has taken a leap into the world of journalism after always having a passion for writing. She currently writes pieces on beauty, fashion, and entertainment for Goodto.com and My Imperfect Life.