She may have looked like a sweet old lady, but the late Queen Elizabeth II could throw shade with the best of them. Because she couldn't always come right out and say what she was thinking — because of politeness, of course — she seemingly developed other ways to communicate. Sometimes, it really appeared like she was saying something sassy with her outfit choices or her royal decisions, and maybe she was. None of us are perfect, and even the Queen was capable of being a little petty.
Because she was in on the throne for decades, Elizabeth had plenty of time to show off her shady side. From snubbing Meghan Markle to digs at US presidents, here are the Queen's 15 shadiest moments, ranked from least to most shady.
15. Mocking a Mistake George W. Bush Made
During a visit to the White House in 2007, then-President George W. Bush accidentally mentioned the Queen celebrating the US bicentennial in 1776, when it was actually in 1976. After the gaffe, Bush said, "She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child." The Queen further voiced her displeasure with a little joke at Bush's expense. "I wondered whether I should start this toast by saying, 'When I was here in 1776,'" she quipped.
It's definitely a moment of shade, but because it's more in good fun than anything, it's on the bottom of our list.
14. Not Thinking a Family Friend Was Deserving of a Title
Princess Margaret was once speaking to her cousin's husband, who was an author. When she asked how his latest book was coming along, he replied, "I desperately need a title." That's when the Queen, who had just overheard, answered, "I cannot think of a reason for giving you one."
It's funny, because the Queen can give out titles — such as duke or sir or dame — and she clearly didn't think her cousin's husband deserved that.
13. Giving Prince William a New Title at an Interesting Time
Shortly after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their royal roles, the Queen gave her other grandson, Prince William, a shiny, new title. William was named Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Some people thought the timing was suspect, like the Queen was awarding William a title for being more loyal to her than Harry.
12. A Speech Aimed at Trump
In 2019, the Queen made a speech at an event with then-President Donald Trump that some felt was taking aim at the US leader. She praised nations that work together through hardships, which could have been a slight toward Trump, who had bashed organizations such as the United Nations. If she was subtly shading him, that was a pretty sly way to do it.
11. A Shady Crown Choice
The Queen also may have thrown shade at Trump with the crown she wore to a June 2019 event with him. The Burmese Ruby Tiara supposedly guards "against illness, but also against evil." When people found out the tiara's meaning, they had a field day. The Queen just may have been the type to make a statement with her fancy jewels.
10. Waiting Years To Give Her Husband a Title
Although she became Queen in 1952, it wasn't until 1957 that Elizabeth gave her husband, Prince Philip, his "prince" title. If The Crown is accurate at all, Philip allegedly had a hard time with his wife suddenly becoming so much more powerful than him. It probably didn't help that she took her sweet time giving him a higher-ranking title, especially because Philip was already a Greek prince — but he had to give up his titles to marry Elizabeth.
9. Political Fashion Statement
Traditionally, the royals aren't supposed to weigh in on politics. But some people think the Queen did with her hat choice at the 2017 opening of British Parliament. She wore a blue hat dotted with flowers with yellow centers, and it looked a lot like the European Union flag — like maybe the Queen was voicing her opinion on Brexit by standing with the EU. Maybe she just liked that hat, but with so much care going into her appearance, it appears to be more than a coincidence.
8. Wearing a Brooch From the Obamas To Meet Trump
A lot of the supposed shade that Queen Elizabeth threw was against Trump. When they met in 2018, the Queen wore a brooch that was given to her by former President Barack Obama. Again, it seems like the kind of thing that wouldn't have gone unnoticed by her style team, so it may well have been intentional.
7. Her Blessing for Harry & Meghan's Marriage Seemed Cold
When the Queen gave her approval for Harry and Meghan's marriage, she called Harry her "most dearly beloved grandson" in the statement but she just called Meghan "Rachel Meghan Markle." Meanwhile, the Queen had previously lovingly referred to Kate Middleton in her marriage approval as "our trusty and well-beloved Catherine Elizabeth Middleton."
Poor Meghan really got off on the wrong foot with the royal family.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
6. Leaving Meghan & Harry Out of Her Christmas Address
Before Megxit, the Queen was already acting like Meghan and Harry weren't a part of the royal family. Her 2019 Christmas address featured photos of everyone — from Prince William and Kate Middleton to Prince Charles to Prince Philip — but Meghan, Harry, and baby Archie were nowhere to be seen. Punishment for ditching the Queen's Christmas celebrations, perhaps?
5. Not Trying To Stop Prince Charles From Cheating
According to what a royal insider told the Telegraph, the Queen knew that Charles was seeing Camilla while married to Princess Diana, but she didn't intervene. "It spoke volumes that the Queen did nothing about the fact that her son was sleeping with a married woman, when she was the one person in the world who, I knew from experience, could have done something about it," the insider said.
The Queen and Diana always had a rocky relationship, and this didn't help.
4. Taking a Long Time To Publicly Acknowledge Princess Diana's Death
When Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997, the Queen didn't publicly address the situation for five days. Reportedly, she considered it a family matter to be handled privately, but the mourning public disagreed. She eventually gave a video address on the matter, though some considered it to be too late.
3. Not Letting Her Sister Marry the Love of Her Life
As Queen, Elizabeth had to give her permission for royal marriages. In the wake of the abdication of her uncle and her father's death, she declined to let her sister, Princess Margaret, marry the man she loved.
Peter Townsend was divorced, which the Church of England frowned upon at the time. So the Queen said no, and Margaret went on to have an approved-of, but unhappy marriage to the Earl of Snowdon instead.
2. Contradicting Statement
One of the Queen's shadiest moments of recent memory, and possibly all time, was when she countered Harry and Meghan's exit statement. The Sussexes claimed they'd had "internal discussions" prior to leaving, but then the Queen issued a statement that made it clear they weren't in control of the narrative.
"Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through."
In just a few words, the Queen made it clear they weren't just going to waltz off without working out the details.
1. Refusing To Step Down
Queen Elizabeth was the world's longest-reigning monarch, and she refused to relinquish that title, even well into her 90s. By not stepping down, she made it look like she didn't approve of Charles becoming king — and one of Charles' aides reportedly said at the time that her stubbornness would cause trouble in the future.
"In some ways, the Queen has behaved as if she is the only one who matters. She has not planned for the future very well — she almost seems to see herself as the last sovereign. Everything has been about what was good for her, not what was good for the monarchy in the long term."
Yikes.
