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To the public, Queen Elizabeth II was the doting grandmother who never put a foot wrong during her record-breaking reign. But behind palace doors, she was not one to be messed with.
The claim was made by royal author Robert Hardman, who has written a new book on England’s longest-reigning monarch, “Elizabeth II: In Private, In Public: Her Story.” It explores the rarely seen side of the late queen, who would have turned 100 on April 21.
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. A palace spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital, “We don’t comment on such books.”
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Queen Elizabeth II is seen here attending a ceremony to mark her official birthday at Windsor Castle on June 13, 2020, in Windsor, England. She is the subject of a new biography by royal author Robert Hardman. (Toby Melville – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“In many ways, she was more terrifying in private than in public,” Hardman told Fox News Digital.
“I’ve always found that there are two sides to her. The public queen is the one we’re all familiar with. She was very serious, very dutiful. She didn’t smile that much. You could just tell this was someone who was very conscious of doing her duty. By contrast, the private side of the queen, she was very sparkly. She could be very direct. She was the opposite of what elderly people are supposed to do.”
“The older she got, the greater her authority,” Hardman added.
“Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. Her Story.” by royal expert Robert Hardman, will be published on May 19, 2026. (Pegasus Books)
Hardman said that the queen was known for “the look,” which he described as “a silent signal of displeasure” toward anyone who crossed “an invisible line.” If one was “over familiar,” incompetent or rude, she would shoot out a steely gaze — an ice-cold warning that said everything without a single word.
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“Everyone was very scared of getting ‘the look,’” Hardman explained. “Even [former Prime Minister] Tony Blair, in his memoirs, wrote about his fear of ‘the look.’ And it was her response to something that she found disagreeable for whatever reason. She wouldn’t snap, she wouldn’t shout, she wouldn’t lecture people. She just gave them this very direct, glacial stare. And it was very clear that she was highly unamused.”
One prime minister who received “the look” was New Zealand’s Helen Clark during the queen’s Golden Jubilee tour of the Pacific in 2002. When the queen arrived at a black-tie banquet with New Zealand’s Parliament, she was met by Clark in more casual trousers.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth II watch The Vivari Queen’s Cup Final from the Royal Box at Guards Polo Club in Smith’s Lawn, Egham, England, on June 17, 2007. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
“[The queen] was told that she needed to put on the full royal regalia,” Hardman explained. “They wanted her in an evening gown. They wanted all the pearls, all the jewels, all the diamonds, the tiara — everything. So she really dressed up for this occasion. She arrived at this banquet hosted by then-Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand. And the prime minister was wearing trousers.”
Queen Elizabeth II, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and the Duke of Edinburgh stand for the playing of “God Save the Queen” during a state banquet in Wellington, New Zealand, on Feb. 25, 2002. The queen was on her 10th official visit to New Zealand. (Ross Land/Getty Images)
“The queen, having made all this effort, [gave] a very strong look,” said Hardman.
Fellow biographer Kenneth Rose told Hardman of “the look” that, “She just stares at the person with open eyes, absolutely no expression.”
Queen Elizabeth II puts on lipstick in the Royal Box at the Windsor Horse Show on May 11, 1985, as Prince Philip prepares to enter the dressage ring with his horse team. (David Levenson/Getty Images)
Former Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd also described a diplomatic reception where members representing more than 150 embassies and high commissions were lined up for the monarch. One ambassador arrived late and missed his slot.
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Royal author Robert Hardman told Fox News Digital palace aides would do anything to avoid “the look” from the queen. (Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images)
“He was very anxious not to lose the opportunity of bowing to the queen, and he shoved himself into position out of line, and he got the stare,” said Hurd. “The courtiers escorted him away to the right position. Nothing would be said.”
“When I went over the top, her eyebrows would go up, and I’d apologize,” Sir Robert Woodard, the former captain of Britannia, also told Hardman. “She hoped you’d sort out the distance you needed to keep.”
Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, watch a flypast marking the Royal Air Force centenary from Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018, in London. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
In his book, Hardman described a moment when the queen attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace, where she was introduced to a Royal Canadian Air Force officer and his Polish girlfriend. While they were in mid-conversation, the woman’s phone began ringing. Wanting to avoid “the look,” the woman tossed the phone into the crowd without breaking eye contact and continued the conversation as if nothing had happened. The queen didn’t blink.
Queen Elizabeth II watches her horse Balmoral Erica compete in the Ridden Mountain and Moorland Class on Day 4 of the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Home Park in Windsor, England, on May 17, 2014. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
But sometimes, the monarch wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.
“She was very direct,” said Hardman. “She was authentic. One of the things people liked about her was that they knew what they were getting.
Royal author Robert Hardman described Queen Elizabeth II as funny, witty and brutally honest. (Mark Cuthbert/UK Press)
“For example, sometimes she’d be handed a speech drafted by her advisors. She’d always read through them first and make corrections. She was once handed a speech that said, ‘I am very glad to be back in Birmingham.’ She crossed out the word ‘very.’ She just said, ‘No disrespect to Birmingham.’ She felt that was an act of insincerity.”
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Queen Elizabeth II attends the Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Windsor Cup polo match and a carriage driving display by the British Driving Society at Guards Polo Club in Egham, England, on July 11, 2021. She wears her Vanguard Rose Brooch, which she received in 1944 when she launched HMS Vanguard. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
When biographer Charles Moore found himself sitting next to the queen at dinner, he half-apologetically began explaining his next book, Hardman wrote. “Oh, don’t worry,” the queen told him. “I shan’t read it.”
“A senior clergyman awaiting a royal verdict on a carefully prepared sermon was both amused and bemused by her parting remark: ‘So many long words, bishop!’” Hardman wrote.
“She was once being driven around Scotland on a tour, and there’d be somebody with her, the Lord Lieutenant, a local royal representative usually in uniform,” Hardman also explained to Fox News Digital.
Queen Elizabeth II awaits the arrival of President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on June 13, 2021. (Max Mumby/Pool/Getty Images)
“Once she got to this meeting, there were people lined up to meet her. This representative was supposed to do the introductions, but his sword had gotten stuck in the car, and he couldn’t get out.
“The queen just thought, ‘Oh, this is ridiculous,’” Hardman continued. “So, she just got out of the car, went up to his greeting line of people, and said, ‘I’m afraid my Lord Lieutenant seems to be having some trouble getting out of the car, so I’d better introduce myself. I’m the queen.’”
Catherine, Princess of Wales and Queen Elizabeth II watch a children’s sports event during a Diamond Jubilee visit to Vernon Park in Nottingham, England, on June 13, 2012. (Phil Noble/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Hardman also wrote that when a cabinet minister told the queen he spent many years in Slough, she replied, “Oh, you poor thing.” On a different occasion, when a guest remarked that she must have been looking forward to an upcoming Commonwealth summit in Uganda, she reportedly replied, “No one looks forward to going to Uganda.”
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Queen Elizabeth II looks at her husband, Prince Philip, during the official welcome ceremony at Buckingham Palace with President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, in London. (Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images)
But the queen also took certain things in stride.
In his book, Hardman described that during a Balmoral shooting weekend, the heir to a nearby estate was so busy digging into his plate of venison stew that he didn’t notice the queen taking a seat at the table. “How are you getting on?” said the queen. The young earl was so shocked that “his garbled attempt at a reply” resulted in a small piece of meat landing on her face.
Queen Elizabeth II talks with her Deputy Private Secretary Edward Young on June 18, 2015, at Ascot, England. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
“She didn’t flinch,” said a source who was present.
In his new book, Robert Hardman explores Queen Elizabeth II’s private side behind palace doors. (Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images)
During a state visit to the U.S. in 1976, President Ford invited the queen for a dance at the White House ball. “The Lady Is a Tramp” began to play. While Ford was furious, Hardman told Fox News Digital the queen found it “hilarious.”
“This was a favorite story [of hers] for years,” he added.
President Gerald Ford dances with Queen Elizabeth II at the White House during the 1976 Bicentennial Celebrations of the Declaration of Independence on July 7, 1976. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images)
The queen died in 2022. She was 96.
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Sept. 8, 2022. She was 96. The late monarch would have turned 100 on April 21, 2026. (Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images)
“She was in charge until her dying day,” said Hardman. “And no one questioned her authority.”
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