NEED TO KNOW

  • Queen Camilla had a candid reaction to meeting a fan with royal tattoos during her latest engagement
  • The Queen, 78, revealed why the ink looks familiar and who has the same one
  • Tattoos are rare among members of the British royal family

Queen Camilla was buzzing when she met a royal superfan with tattoos honoring the monarchy — and made a surprising confession about her own link to the ink. 

On July 23, the Queen, 78, made the unexpected revelation while greeting members of the public outside the Sandringham Flower Show, which she attended alongside her husband King Charles. 

The flower show is expected to be one of the royal couple’s final joint appearances before they retreat for a traditional summer break. During the outing, the Queen appeared stunned as she took in royal fan Phil Smith’s impressive display of four large tattoos on his left leg — each one dedicated to the royal family.

From ankle to thigh, Smith has inked the cyphers of the late Queen Elizabeth, King Charles, Queen Camilla, and most recently, Charles and Camilla’s joint royal cypher as a couple — the latest addition to his royal collection.

Queen Camilla meets Phil Smith at the Sandringham Flower Show on July 23, 2025.

Chris Radburn – WPA Pool/Getty

The fan fittingly wore shorts to show the Queen, and cameras captured her candid reaction. According to the Daily Mail, she turned to one of her bodyguards and exclaimed, “Look, he’s got one too!”

Phil Smith, 61, told the outlet that he thought the Queen was “fabulous” — and revealed that she shared a surprising connection to his ink: one of her security guards has a royal cypher tattoo, too.

Phil Smith shows off his tattoos.

Chris Radburn – WPA Pool/Getty

“‘I just think she’s fabulous and have got to know her a bit. We just hit it off,” said Smith, who has been writing to Camilla since before she married King Charles in 2005.

Phil Smith at the Sandringham Flower Show on July 23, 2025.

Chris Radburn – WPA Pool/Getty

“I love the royal family and she in particular has got a good sense of humor. She frequently responds,” he said. “I waited to see her to show her my latest [tattoo] and she laughed. She said one of her security men has also had it done too.”

The Northampton man said his latest ink took over two hours and that the process itself was painful. 

Reflecting on the memorable encounter, Smith said, “Honestly, she’s just great. We exchange letters. She knew who I was. She asked how long it [the latest tattoo] took and I told her about two and a half hours.”

“But I told her this one bloody hurt. She just finds it hilarious,” he told the Daily Mail. “She pulled her police officer’s sleeve and said, ‘Look, it’s catching on!’ ”

The superfan noted that the officer, who was accompanying the Queen that day, appeared to have a tattoo of the King and Queen’s royal insignia as well.

Chris Jackson/Getty

Royal cyphers are monograms used across official communications and some government buildings, documents and signage. Following his accession to the throne in September 2022, Charles and Camilla both received new emblems to reflect that status.

Their joint cypher was revealed the following spring in a design that features two interlocking C’s, representing the initials of the King and Queen’s first names, intertwined with R for Rex, or “King” in Latin.

Tattoos are rare within the British royal family, but in June 2022, Princess Eugenie quietly debuted a small circular tattoo behind her left ear during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Princess Eugenie attends a National Service of Thanksgiving celebrating the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth at St. Paul’s Cathedral on June 3, 2022.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

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The move made Eugenie, 35, the highest-ranking royal in the line of succession to the British throne with a visible tattoo — and she’s in good company. King Frederik of Denmark, Princess Sofia of Sweden and Princess Stephanie of Monaco all have tattoos, too.

Prince Harry had his own brush with ink last year, when he appeared to get a (fake) tattoo from musician Jelly Roll in a skit tied to the Invictus Games — filmed at East Side Ink in New York City.

After the shoot, the Duke of Sussex, 40, sent a handwritten thank-you note to tattoo artist Josh Lord, writing: “Thank you so much for your generosity in offering us your space at East Side Ink for filming — it was incredibly kind, and I really enjoyed meeting you and learning more about the history of your shop.”

Invictus Games

Lord told PEOPLE he was thrilled to be involved: “I had no idea I’d be in the video as much as I was. It was exciting to be a part of.”

And could Harry get a real tattoo one day? “He hasn’t said no,” Lord said, adding that the Duke “definitely expressed a curiosity.”

“He’s a very laid-back, normal guy if you let him be,” Lord added. “He’s managed to maintain a level of humanity and kindness in everything he does, which is remarkable.”