What makes the queen an ideal meme candidate is the disparity between her serious standing and less-than-solemn actions. “It’s the unexpectedness of it,” says Galip, “like when you’re in school and the stern teacher cracks a joke that no one saw coming. It’s surprising that they have a personality, interests, or a sense of humor when they seem so removed from society.” The queen’s willingness to poke fun at herself and puncture the pomposity of her position also endeared her to the public.
to Daniel Craig’s James Bond as part of the launch of the Olympic Games in the country. That video involved the queen—in reality, a stunt person—jumping out of a plane as part of the punch line. It’s a wicked sense of humor she perpetuated a decade later as part of her Diamond Jubilee,alongside a computer-generated version of Paddington Bear over a cup of tea inside Buckingham Palace.
It was a surprise to see—not least because throughout her reign she preferred to remain largely inscrutable. “Because she is so silent on so many things, and her face is so expressive, even though she doesn’t look like she’s giving it away, she does,” said Quinlan before her passing. “You can kind of read into her whatever you want to read. She keeps people guessing. She’s an enigma and a woman of mystery.