To the public, Queen Elizabeth II was the doting grandmother who never put a foot wrong during her record-breaking reign. But behind palace doors, she was not one to be messed with.
The claim was made by royal author Robert Hardman, who has written a new book on Englands longest-reigning monarch, “Elizabeth II: In Private, In Public: Her Story.” It explores the rarely seen side of the late queen, who would have turned 100 on April 21.
Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. A palace spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital, “We don’t comment on such books.”
“In many ways, she was more terrifying in private than in public,” Hardman told Fox News Digital.
“Ive always found that there are two sides to her. The public queen is the one were all familiar with. She was very serious, very dutiful. She didnt smile that much. You could just tell this was someone who was very conscious of doing her duty. By contrast, the private side of the queen, she was very sparkly. She could be very direct. She was the opposite of what elderly people are supposed to do.”
“The older she got, the greater her authority,” Hardman added.
Hardman said that the queen was known for “the look,” which he described as “a silent signal of displeasure” toward anyone who crossed “an invisible line.” If one was “over familiar,” incompetent or rude, she would shoot out a steely gaze â an ice-cold warning that said everything without a single word.
WATCH: INSIDE QUEEN ELIZABETH’S GLACIAL STARE THAT UNNERVED LEADERS
“Everyone was very scared of getting the look,” Hardman explained. “Even [former Prime Minister] Tony Blair, in his memoirs, wrote about his fear of the look. And it was her response to something that she found disagreeable for whatever reason. She wouldnt snap, she wouldnt shout, she wouldnt lecture people. She just gave them this very direct, glacial stare. And it was very clear that she was highly unamused.”
One prime minister who received “the look” was s Helen Clark during the queens Golden Jubilee tour of the Pacific in 2002. When the queen arrived at a black-tie banquet with New Zealands Parliament, she was met by Clark in more casual trousers.
“[The queen] was told that she needed to put on the full royal regalia,” Hardman explained. “They wanted her in an evening gown. They wanted all the pearls, all the jewels, all the diamonds, the tiara â everything. So she really dressed up for this occasion. She arrived at this banquet hosted by then-Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand. And the prime minister was wearing trousers.”
“The queen, having made all this effort, [gave] a very strong look,” said Hardman.
told Hardman of “the look” that, “She just stares at the person with open eyes, absolutely no expression.”
Former Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd also described a diplomatic reception where members representing more than 150 embassies and high commissions were lined up for the monarch. One ambassador arrived late and missed his slot.
“He was very anxious not to lose the opportunity of bowing to the queen, and he shoved himself into position out of line, and he got the stare,” said Hurd. “The courtiers escorted him away to the right position. Nothing would be said.”
“When I went over the top, her eyebrows would go up, and Id apologize,” Sir Robert Woodard, the former captain of Britannia, also told Hardman. “She hoped youd sort out the distance you needed to keep.”
In his book, Hardman described a moment when the queen attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace, where she was introduced to a Royal Canadian Air Force officer and his Polish girlfriend. While they were in mid-conversation, the womans phone began ringing. Wanting to avoid “the look,” the woman tossed the phone into th
