'Don't imagine the Queen doing that!' Joanna Lumley reveals 'down to earth' moments with the Queen

Joanna Lumley has shared some insight into down to earth experiences with Her Majesty

Joanna Lumley with Prince Charles
(Image credit: Arthur Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Joanna Lumley, star of Absolutely Fabulous, has shared some details about the “good hearted” Royal Family. Talking on a chat show, Joanna shared some “down to earth” anecdotes about the Queen as she promotes a book celebrating Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee next year.

  • Joanna Lumley shared some stories about the Queen’s ‘down to earth’ nature while appearing on British chat show The Jonathan Ross Show
  • Joanna revealed the Queen once got on her knees and started a fire using twigs while posing for a portrait
  • In other royal news, fans are all saying the same thing about Princess Charlotte from the Cambridge’s family Christmas card

Perhaps best known for her performance as Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous, Joanna Lumley is currently doing the rounds on British chat shows to promote her recently released book celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s historic reign.

Her book, A Queen for All Seasons: A Celebration of Our One and Only Queen Elizabeth II on Her Platinum Jubilee, aims to illuminate the life of the British monarch and detail key moments in her 70 year reign.

Joanna Lumley

(Image credit: Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage)

Joanna also opened up about her own experiences with the Royal family over the years, describing them as having shown themselves to be “good-hearted people”.

Joanna said, “If you do meet any member of the Royal family, they are so kind and so friendly and so polite and not grand. You’ll find kindly, good-hearted people.”

She then added an amusing story about the Queen that captured her down to earth nature.

She explained, “A friend of mine who was a grand old painter, he painted the Queen several times. One day she was sitting for him and she said, ‘Do you think it’s cold in here?’ She said, ‘I think it’s cold.’”

“She got on her knees, got some twigs… set a little fire going in the hearth. You kind of don’t imagine the Queen doing that.”

Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley

(Image credit: Paul Zimmerman/WireImage)

When discussing the book she had written about the Queen’s reign, Joanna also explained how Her Majesty had received a copy and shared some feedback with the actress.

She said, “I sent her a copy of the book. I asked the aides of the palace, they said, ‘We’ll see that it’s placed before Her Majesty.’ Her majesty sent a message to say she was grateful I’d taken the trouble to send the book and sent her warmest wishes.”

Jack Slater
Freelance writer

Jack Slater is not the Last Action Hero, but that's what comes up first when you Google him. Preferring a much more sedentary life, Jack gets his thrills by covering news, entertainment, celebrity, film and culture for woman&home, and other digital publications.


Having written for various print and online publications—ranging from national syndicates to niche magazines—Jack has written about nearly everything there is to write about, covering LGBTQ+ news, celebrity features, TV and film scoops, reviewing the latest theatre shows lighting up London’s West End and the most pressing of SEO based stories.