What was the one thing that SCARED Queen Elizabeth II? New Mail podcast series launches delving into the history of Royal security threats and assassination attempts
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On the first episode of a special three-part investigation into historic security threats against the British monarchy, Royal biographer Robert Hardman, co-host of the 'Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things' podcast, explains the one thing that frightened Queen Elizabeth II.
The late Queen was known for her stiff upper lip and unshrinking attitude towards threats against her life.
For example, Hardman described Britain's longest-serving monarch as being 'cool as a cucumber' in the aftermath of the famous 1982 Buckingham Palace break-in.
Waking up to a disturbed Michael Fagan clutching a piece of broken glass at her bedside, the Queen still completed her busy calendar of Royal events the following day.
Despite enduring a life that began with the threat of Nazi abduction and later saw the IRA make threats to mortar bomb Royal palaces, there was only one thing, Hardman reveals in the podcast, that kept the stoic Queen up at night.
Queen Elizabeth II's Fear of Helicopters
The year 1977 was a milestone year for Queen Elizabeth II: not only did it see her Silver Jubilee celebrations, but it also forced her to confront her greatest fear.
The monarch had her mind set on visiting every corner of the United Kingdom to mark 25 years on the throne, including Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles.
This posed a problem for Elizabeth II as her security detail warned against visiting the nation without the use of a helicopter, a mode of transport she was deathly afraid of.
As Royal biographer Hardman told the podcast: 'Elizabeth II was only afraid of one thing, and that was helicopters.
'She could put up with everything else: she'd been through the war, she'd been through heaven knows what, but she always had a thing about helicopters.
'Even at the end of her life, she was very reluctant to use them in bad weather and during winter.'
Her fear was not unfounded, having been shaken by the untimely death of a member of her staff in a helicopter crash.
Hardman explained: 'She had been particularly upset by the death of the captain of the Queen's flight, a chap called John Blunt, who is a relative of singer James Blunt.
'He died in a helicopter accident in the late 1960s and that left a very deep impression on the Queen.'
For the visit to Northern Ireland however, the monarch was forced to put her apprehension aside and tour the nation using the aircraft.
'She has no choice', Hardman said.
'The Queen was ferried to a Royal Navy frigate, where she got into a helicopter for the first time and flew around Northern Ireland for her Jubilee.
'It's somewhat ironic that several of her children and grandchildren, notably Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, and Prince Harry, all ended up flying helicopters at various points. She never like them.'
Historian and co-host Kate Williams noted that the conquering of her fear to make a spectacle of an important milestone in her reign says something of the late Queen's unflappable attitude towards the responsibility of the crown.
'Elizabeth really is the epitome of the overused phrase, keep calm and carry on', Williams commented.
To watch the full episode, where the pair of Royal experts discuss the assassination of Lord Mountbatten and much more, search for 'Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things' now, wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released every Thursday.
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