The late Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite joke has been revealed by her long-time loyal groom Terry Pendry, who accompanied the late monarch on horseback rides for nearly three decades.
Pendry, who stood solemnly alongside the late Queen’s favourite pony Emma during her funeral procession, recalled the conversation – during which the late Queen was unable to control her laughter – during his appearance on the Rosebud podcast.
The joke is said to have been passed on to the king by a priest named Martin Poll before a service at the Chapel Royal.
Recalling his “funniest” memory of the late Queen, Pendry described a horse ride with her in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The joke was shared by her long-time loyal groom Terry Pendry, who accompanied the late monarch on horseback rides for nearly three decades. Pictured: The late Queen with Mr Pendry as they watch her horses compete in the Highland and Fells events on day two of the Royal Windsor Horse Show, July 2, 2021
Terry Pendry was Queen Elizabeth’s groom for 28 years and worked in the Royal Stables at Windsor Castle, where he was responsible for looking after the horses and ponies.
The Queen, with Mr Pendry, on her pony Emma just before her 88th birthday
Pendry stands solemnly beside the late Queen’s favourite pony, Emma, during her funeral procession
“We just passed Frogmore and came to an open field on the left where there were some cows and she looked at me and said, ‘Mother Superior, she’s dying.’
“I said: ‘but madam, excuse me, but you are not Catholic’; ‘I know’, she said, ‘it’s a joke’.
“She said, ‘All the nuns gathered around the bed and one nun said, ‘Well, we need to offer the Mother Superior a glass of cold water.’” – keep in mind we’re on horseback and she’s waving her hands at me – “So they did it properly and the Mother Superior rejected it and said, ‘Take it off, I don’t want that.’”
“So they went a little further and the nun said, ‘I know, let’s get our best cow and we’ll milk her and give her a glass of fresh milk.’ They offered the Mother Superior this glass of fresh milk and the Mother Superior said, ‘If you don’t want it, take it.’
“A very naughty nun said, ‘I know, let’s put a good swig of whisky in the milk – let’s see if that works.’
“So they did what they had planned and the Mother Superior drank it all.
“Two days later the inevitable happened: the Mother Superior was going to pass into the better world, and all the nuns gathered around her bed and said to her: ‘Do you have a last request?’, and she replied: ‘Yes, I have just one: whatever you do, do not sell that cow.'”
Pendry recalls Queen Elizabeth’s horse’s reins bouncing up and down throughout the story, with the late queen unable to contain her own laughter.
But it wasn’t just jokes the monarch enjoyed with Pendry, also claiming she loved to imitate accents – and did a particularly successful impersonation of a New Zealander.
Terry Pendry was Queen Elizabeth’s groom for 28 years and worked in the Royal Stables at Windsor Castle, where he was responsible for looking after the horses and ponies.
He frequently accompanied the late Queen on horseback rides and was previously a professional jockey and was knighted as a military knight of Windsor in 2023.