The former aide of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II has described her late employer as “shy” but “playful” in a surprise new interview.
Speaking with The Sunday Times, Samantha Cohen spoke candidly about the 18 years she worked alongside the late Queen as her private secretary.
In March 1977, Her Majesty arrived on Australian shores for a tour to celebrate her Silver Jubilee.
It was in Brisbane, amongst a crowd of thousands, that Samantha first laid eyes on the Queen, not knowing that she would one day spend almost two decades of her life in almost constant contact with her.
Fast forward to 2002, and she officially applied to join the royal’s press office in Buckingham Palace – a position she would remain in until 2019, spending her final year working alongside the Duke and Duchess of Sussex instead of the Queen.
As she worked her way up the ranks of the royal offices, the private secretary eventually became the trusted right-hand of the world’s most famous woman.
But despite her role, and devotion to her duty as ruler of 56 Commonwealth nations, and as the Supreme Head of the Church of England, Samantha says her former employee was “an incredible boss.”
“It always struck me that in a world of celebrity, where we had all sorts of celebrities coming into the palace, the Queen was the antithesis of celebrity,” she shared with the UK publication, adding that the Queen had “no ego” despite her status.
“She was the maestro. She understood this was her role. She took it very seriously and performed it to perfection.”
“But she knew it was separate to her as a person. She was never intoxicated by the allure, never showed off, was never tempted to preen,” she added.
Samantha also spoke of the Queen’s incredible devotion to her family, who she loved hosting at her beloved home in Balmoral, Scotland.
“It was important to her. She loved hosting everybody for summer, allocating rooms, and checking them herself,” the 56-year-old shared.
But it wasn’t just her own family whom she showed kindness to, Samantha revealing that the Queen had frequently been “remarkably kind” to both her and her family over the course of her employment.
From gifts to her children from the monarch with handwritten tags, to the use of cottages on royal estates such as Sandringham, Samantha spoke highly, revealing that Her Majesty “loved hearing what everyone was doing” when they bumped into her.
During her time working for Queen Elizabeth, Samantha accompanied her on three Australian tours in 2002, and 2006, and her final visit at the age of 85 in 2011.
In May 2018, shortly after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wed, the Queen personally asked Samantha to work for the couple, citing her lengthy experience. However, in November 2019 she quit amongst bullying claims surrounding the Duchess of Sussex.
Despite formally leaving The Firm, Samantha was invited to take part in the now infamous ‘Sandringham Summit’ – where the royal family and senior staff hammered out a plan for both Harry and his wife to depart their roles as senior working members and move to the United States of America.
