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Queen jokes that noisy plane 'sounds like President Trump' during cordial chat with Sir David Attenborough

 

In any other circumstance, two 91-year-olds strolling slowly around a garden, complaining about the prevalence of noisy aircraft would hardly be of note.

But when that elderly couple happens to be the Queen and Sir David Attenborough, old friends and undisputed national treasures, the nature of their conversation is rather more of interest.

As it happened, the pair’s genial chatter was marred by the aforesaid overhead din.

The Queen could not contain her irritation. “Why do they go round and round when you want to talk?” she pondered aloud.

Sir David Attenborough joins Her Majesty the Queen in the gardens of Buckingham Palace  - Credit: ITV
Sir David Attenborough joins Her Majesty the Queen in the gardens of Buckingham Palace Credit: ITV

Poking fun at the noisy aircraft favoured by US leaders, she joked: “Sounds like President Trump or President Obama.”

It is not the first time the monarch has expressed frustration about living under a flight path.

Last year, she bemoaned the increasing “noise from the air” that disturbs the peace when she is enjoying the gardens at Frogmore House in Windsor.

The Queen and Princess Margaret leaning against a large tree - Credit: ITV
The Queen and Princess Margaret leaning against a large treeCredit: ITV

In a pre-recorded message, she told BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time: “I very much hope you have enjoyed visiting Frogmore House and garden, which holds a special place in my family affections.

“Indeed, I would echo the sentiments of Queen Victoria, who, 150 years ago, wrote of this dear lovely garden where all is peace and you only hear the gum of bees, the singing of the birds.

“These days there is more noise from the air than in 1867, but Frogmore remains a wonderfully relaxing environment.”

Heathrow airport is barely a seven mile drive from Frogmore House and its flight path passes very close to the royal retreat.

It was suggested in 2015 that the monarch could receive millions of pounds in compensation to soundproof Windsor Castle due to the noise of planes from an expanded Heathrow.

But aside from the noise pollution, the Queen and Sir David clearly revelled in each other’s company.

Sir David Attenborough joins Her Majesty the Queen in the gardens of Buckingham Palace - Credit: ITV
Sir David Attenborough joins Her Majesty the Queen in the gardens of Buckingham PalaceCredit: ITV

The pair, who were born just a month apart, had met after the former agreed to escort Sir David personally around the Buckingham Palace tree collection.

Their summer stroll was the culmination of a year’s filming that also involved her grandchildren, Prince William and Prince Harry, for the Queen’s Green Planet documentary, which follows the progress of a project known as the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, which aims to create a network of forests around the globe, second only in size to the Amazon rainforest.

Sir David admitted that despite their many previous meetings he was a little nervous about the garden walk because “all sorts of things could have gone wrong.”

“There were problems in that where the palace is, geographically, there are always police sirens and ambulance sirens that make filming difficult,” he told the Radio Times.

“But she took it all in her stride. It was a privilege of course, a very nice occasion — and she was very gracious. “She is very unsolemn, very good at putting people at their ease.”

The Queen in the gardens of Buckingham Palace  - Credit: ITV
The Queen in the gardens of Buckingham Palace Credit: ITV

At one point, the Queen teased Sir David because he was struggling to identify the nametags on two oak trees planted to celebrate the births of Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

“The truth was I couldn’t find my glasses,” he said.

The monarch also chuckled when Sir David pointed out a sundial “neatly planted in the shade”.

Asked how two nonagarians were still going strong, protecting the planet, he said: “We must be very lucky in our constitutions.

“There are very many virtuous people I can think of who can’t walk at my age, so it’s a matter of luck isn’t it?”