Queen’s death: Theresa May’s story of Queen and dropped cheese reduces Commons to laughter

Mrs May smiled as she described the encounter with the late Queen – well-known for her mischievous sense of humour – to MPs who have gathered in Parliament for tributes to the monarch.

“Her Majesty loved the countryside, and she was down to earth and a woman of common sense,” recalled the Maidenhead MP.

“I remember one picnic at Balmoral, which was taking place in one of the bothies on the estate. The hampers came from the castle, and we all mucked in to put the food and drink out on the table.

“I picked up some cheese, put it on a plate and was transferring it to the table. The cheese fell on the floor. I had a split-second decision to make.”

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Mrs May paused as MPs burst into laughter, before adding: “I picked up the cheese, put it on the plate and put it on the table. I turned round to see that my every move had been watched very carefully by Her Majesty the Queen.

“I looked at her. She looked at me and she just smiled. And the cheese remained on the table.”

Queen Elizabeth II stroking Candy, her corgi dog, as she looks at a display of memorabilia from her Golden and Platinum Jubilees

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Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the Roman site of Vindolanda near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, with a corgi bred by the Queen and then owned by Lady Beaumont.

PA

Footage featured during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games starring British actor Daniel Craig (L) playing James Bond escorting Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (2nd L) through the corridors of Buckingham Palace.

Queen Elizabeth II leaving Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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Queen Elizabeth II poses, with the England rugby squad at a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to celebrate winning the Rugby World Cup, accompanied by one of her beloved Corgis.

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Queen Elizabeth II is greeted by local corgi enthusiasts as she departs the Legislature Building in Edmonton, Alberta Tuesday 23 May 2005, during the state visit to Canada.

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Queen Elizabeth II, Andrew, Edward and two corgis watch TV at Sandringham in 1969

JOAN WILLIAMS

Corgi puppies being carried on to an Andover of the Queen’s Flight as Queen Elizabeth II arrives at London’s Heathrow Airport to board the plane for her flight to Aberdeen and the start of her annual holiday at Balmoral.

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Queen Elizabeth II with a corgi in the grounds of Sandringham House, Norfolk, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne.

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Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Charles and Princess Anne on a garden bench with the Queen’s corgi, Sue, in Balmoral, Scotland.

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Prince Edward and a pet Corgi attracting the attention of Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal Family were posing in the gardens at Frogmore, Windsor.

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Britain’s Princess Elizabeth, right, holds a Pembrokeshire Corgi as her sister Princess Margaret feeds it a biscuit.

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Queen Elizabeth ll arrives at Aberdeen Airport with her corgis to start her holidays in Balmoral, Scotland in 1974.

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Paul Burrell, A Member Of The Queens Staff, Carrying One Of The Queen’s Corgis Off The Royal Flight Aircraft Returning From Balmoral After The Summer Holidays.

Tim Graham Photo Library via Get

Royal Corgis Arrive Back At Heathrow Airport, After The Summer Visit To Balmoral.

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Princess Elizabeth and her younger sister Princess Margaret Rose in their garden at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, April 1940.

Lisa Sheridan/Studio Lisa/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II holds one of the Royal corgis, while she speaks with the Duke of Edinburgh as he plays polo at Smith’s Lawn, Windsor Great Park.

PA Wire/PA Images

Princess Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth, seated in a horse drawn carriage in the garden at Windsor Castle (Lisa Sheridan/PA)

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Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor joined by Sugar, one of the Royal corgis.

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Queen Elizabeth II arrives at King’s Cross railway station in London 15 October 1969 with her four dogs of Corgis breed after holidays in Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

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The Queen with some of her corgis walking at the Windsor Horse Trials in 1980 (PA)

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The Queen, sitting on a grassy bank with the corgis, at Virginia Water to watch competitors in the marathon of the European Driving Championship.

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Princess Elizabeth takes her pet dog for a walk in Hyde Park, London, on Feb. 26. 1936.

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The Conservative former prime minister described Queen Elizabeth II as “quite simply the most remarkable person I have ever met”.

During her tribute in the Commons, she also recounted her weekly audiences with the monarch during her time as prime minister.

She said: “Across the nations of the world, for so many people, meeting Queen Elizabeth simply made their day and for many will be the memory of their life.

“Of course, for those of us who had the honour to serve as one of her prime ministers, those meetings were more frequent with the weekly audiences.

“These were not meetings with a high and mighty monarch, but a conversation with a woman of experience and knowledge and immense wisdom. They were also the one meeting I went to, which I knew it would not be briefed out to the media.”

This comment too was met with gales of laughter from MPs, before Mrs May added: “What made those audiences so special was the understanding the Queen had of issues which came from the work she put into her red boxes, combined with her years of experience.”