'A great sense of humour': But what makes the Queen laugh?
There has been much solemnity and seriousness in the Queen's life - but as she reaches her 96th birthday, what has often been overlooked is her sense of humour.
"Laughing things off has been an important survival technique," says royal historian Robert Lacey.
The Queen's well-developed "sense of the absurd" has been a vital private outlet from such a highly choreographed public life, where she often has to remain straight-faced, he says.
"She obviously takes her job seriously - but at the same time, it doesn't stop her having a sense of the ridiculous," Mr Lacey says.
The Duke of Sussex, after last week's flying visit to the UK, singled out his grandmother's "great sense of humour" as her best quality.
Historian and author Sir Anthony Seldon says: "A defining characteristic is that she doesn't take herself too seriously. It's significantly contributed to the success of her reign."
He says the Queen has none of the "self-obsession" that he calls the "disease of the age".
"There is a lack of pomposity, a certain irreverence," he says. "She's able to laugh off misfortune and keep going."
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61067187
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She continues to remind me a great deal of my mom, who didn't have as public a profile, but who had to occasionally stifle giggling fits on public occasions, was a good mimic, and had a great sense of humor...and looked like the Queen.
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