{"id":133987,"date":"2025-05-26T19:14:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T19:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/133987\/"},"modified":"2025-05-26T19:14:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T19:14:08","slug":"heres-the-only-thing-queen-elizabeth-was-scared-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/133987\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s the Only Thing Queen Elizabeth Was Scared Of"},"content":{"rendered":"

Strong, fearless and always composed: Britain\u2019s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II<\/a>, was the definition of grace. During her 70 years on the throne, she appointed 15 prime ministers, lived through wars, political and economic crises, a global pandemic, her grandson Prince Harry quitting \u201cThe Firm\u201d and, of course, her beloved husband Prince Philip\u2019s death. And yet, Her Majesty never lost her composure or her steadfast smile.<\/p>\n

There was one thing, however, that did give Elizabeth a shiver down her spine, even if she hid it well in public. And we bet it\u2019s not what you\u2019d expect. A royal biographer spilled the beans in a recent podcast, and we\u2019re about to reveal the details to you. Read on to learn what the queen\u2019s biggest fear was\u2014and how it affected her relationship with her family.<\/p>\n

Get\u00a0<\/b>Reader\u2019s Digest<\/b>\u2019s\u00a0<\/b>Read Up newsletter<\/b><\/a> for more royals, humor, cleaning, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.<\/b><\/p>\n

What was the one thing Queen Elizabeth was scared of?<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was only afraid of one thing, and that was helicopters,\u201d revealed royal biographer Robert Hardman in the Daily Mail\u2019s podcast Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things. \u201cShe could put up with everything else. She\u2019d been through the war, she\u2019d been through heaven knows what, but she always had a thing about helicopters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who would have thought? Helicopters are, after all, one of the main and favorite modes of transports for many members of the British royal family<\/a>, including the late monarch\u2019s own grandsons.<\/p>\n

What caused this fear?<\/p>\n

\"QueenTim Graham\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

According to Hardman, the queen\u2019s fear dated back to 1967, when her flight captain JHL Blount died in a helicopter crash, along with three passengers. The helicopter, a Westland Whirlwind HCC.12, was en route from Oxfordshire, west of London, to Somerset on Dec. 7 when the main rotor hub and blade suddenly detached due to fatigue failure of the drive shaft and caused the helicopter to crash on a field. The accident left \u201ca very deep impression on the queen,\u201d who was noticeably \u201cupset,\u201d Hardman said. From then on, Elizabeth tried to avoid helicopter rides whenever possible.<\/p>\n

Of course, being the queen and having lots of engagements, she couldn\u2019t always say no. Her nerves were put to a test in 1977 when she celebrated her Silver Jubilee (25 years on the throne) and was determined to visit every corner of the country, including Northern Ireland, which was experiencing the Troubles at the time. \u201cShe had no choice,\u201d recalled Hardman. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, the experience didn\u2019t cure her fear: \u201cEven at the end of her life, she was very reluctant to use them in bad weather and during winter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did she create a rule against royal family members flying in helicopters?<\/p>\n

Queen Elizabeth never put a no-helicopter rule in place, but she reportedly never liked it when her family members rode in them. This seems slightly ironic considering all her of three sons\u2014Charles, Edward and Andrew\u2014were Army helicopter pilots, and Charles\u2019s sons, William and Harry<\/a>, followed in their footsteps. Prince Harry even flew helicopters in Afghanistan, while his older brother, who wasn\u2019t allowed to go to a war zone as the heir to the throne, served as a RAF search-and-rescue pilot. As Queen Elizabeth always put duty and country first, it seems she just came to terms with it.<\/p>\n

That said, she was a lot less calm about Prince William taking his kids in the air. \u201cAn experienced pilot, William had upset the late queen when he defied her request not to pilot his family the 115 miles from Kensington Palace to Anmer Hall, their home in Norfolk. The queen, haunted by the 1967 crash [\u2026] \u2018did not hold back,\u2019 one aide said,\u201d according to royal biographer Robert Jobson in his book Catherine, the Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen. King Charles later echoed the queen\u2019s worries and, when William refused to give up the family helicopter rides, made him sign a document acknowledging the risks involved and taking full responsibility in case anything went wrong.<\/p>\n

What is the rule about royal family members traveling together?<\/p>\n

To make sure the monarchy continues even when tragedy hits, two heirs to the throne are traditionally not allowed to fly on the same plane (or helicopter). The rule applies to royals aged 12 and over, which means that Prince George<\/a> could be banned from flying together with his father from July this year. It\u2019s not yet clear if Prince William and Kate will actually stick to the rule, but William himself did have to fly in a separate aircraft than his father starting the day he turned 12 in 1994. Graham Laurie, who flew the late queen back in the day, talked about the travel rule in the A Right Royal podcast, saying he\u2019d expect the same to apply to George.<\/p>\n

Technically, there is a way around this, though. If King Charles gives the family permission to continue traveling together, they can. It remains to be seen what happens this summer when William, Kate and the kids head on their first summer vacation with their newly minted 12-year-old son!<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why trust us<\/p>\n

Reader\u2019s Digest has published hundreds of stories on the British royal family, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating facets of the monarchy. We regularly cover topics including the latest royal news, the history and meaning behind time-honored traditions, and the everyday quirks of everyone\u2019s favorite family members, from Queen Elizabeth\u2019s daily snack to Prince William\u2019s confessions about his home life. We\u2019re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers\u2019 personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team<\/a>, our contributors and our editorial policies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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