The Queen has shared some incredible pictures of her training as a lifeguard and receiving a historic award when she was just 14-years-old.
- The Queen spoke to the Royal Life Saving Society over a video call this week.
- Her Majesty shared an unseen childhood photograph of her as she reflected on achieving the Junior Respiration Award as a 14-year-old.
- This royal news comes after it was revealed that Kate Middleton made the ultimate career sacrifice so she could study with Prince William.
The Queen, who recently shared fond memories of her late husband Prince Philip, has now shared incredibly rare photos from her childhood.
Her Majesty, 95, spoke to the Royal Life Saving Society, of which she has been Patron since 1952, over a video call.
She spoke to lifesavers and researchers and shared some memories and photographs of her time as a teenage lifeguard.
The images, which have now been shared on the royal family’s Instagram, show the Queen swimming with another young girl, practicing saving her from drowning. The other shows the Queen proudly wearing her Junior Respiration Award badge.
They are a lovely insight into her down-to-earth, childhood hobbies, after it her goddaughter revealed the Queen would have loved to lead an ‘ordinary’ life.
Recalling the childhood memory, the monarch said, “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 12 or something.
“12 or 14…it’s a very long time again I’m afraid,” the Queen then laughed and said, “I think it’s changed a lot.”
She was then told she was actually the first person to ever win the Junior Respiration Award, to which she replied, “I didn’t realise I was the first one, I just did it and had to work very hard for it.
“But it was a great achievement and I was very proud to wear the badge on the front of my swimming suit.”
One of the society members also cheekily reminded her that it had in fact been 80 years since she won the award, the Queen laughed and replied, “Oh that’s terrible!”