A woman who worked as an assistant to the late Queen Elizabeth II for 18 years has revealed some unexpected details about her boss, including that the monarch was a “courageous” driver who enjoyed driving at high speed.
Samantha cohen, 56, spoke to the Sunday Times about her time with Her Majesty, discussing how she joined the Press Office some 25 years ago, before being promoted to Communications Secretary to the Royal Family, and then to her Assistant Private Secretary.
Cohen said she first saw the woman who would become her future employer during the head of state’s visit to Australia in 1977, during her silver jubilee year. Cohen, a schoolgirl in Brisbane at the time, said she was “extremely excited” about the occasion.
Not only would she continue to work for Queen Elizabeth for almost twenty years, she would also become ‘one of’ [her] most trusted aides and closest confidantes’.
During those many years, Cohen sat with the queen almost every day. She also did three Australian tours with her, in 2002, 2006 and 2011.
Samantha Cohen (pictured, left) sits behind the Queen (pictured, right) as she watches a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge in June 2018 in Widnes
She describes their relationship as “very respectful” and adds that the monarch had no favorites. She saw her job simply as “making life as easy as possible for the Royal Family – whom she described as an ‘incredible’ employer.”
The mother-of-three and her family, husband Richard Halle, and their children (who are now aged 13, 16 and 19) often moved to wherever the Queen was – for example to spend summers at Balmoral and Christmas in Norfolk at Sandringham, where they were given a cottage during their stay, and gifts complete with handwritten cards from the monarch.
During summers in Scotland, when Cohen’s family was given a house to stay in, the children would sometimes encounter Mer Majesty who “liked families to have a good time and hear what everyone was doing.”
Describing the royal as a “shy” person who wanted to be both “a family woman” and head of state, Cohen said she loved the privacy she enjoyed at Balmoral, hosting everyone and allocating rooms for guests.
In Scotland, the Queen showed her penchant for speed, with Cohen saying the royal family was “courageous”, adding that she would “drive her cars fast around Balmoral”. Her passengers were reportedly left white-knuckled.
Another notable character trait of the late monarch, according to Cohen, was that she had “no ego” and that despite being one of the most famous people in the world, she was “the antithesis of celebrity.”
Instead of being a braggart, intoxicated with being royal, the queen took ‘ [her role] very seriously and executed it to perfection,” while also remembering that it had nothing to do with her as a person.
Although she saw the royal family at their happiest when off duty, Cohen says she also enjoyed the Australian tours, which she found more relaxing “because there was less protocol.”
According to Cohen (pictured at Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018), the Queen revealed that she loved speed and drove her cars very fast around Balmoral
After Australians voted to retain Elizabeth as head of state (a narrow victory in the 1999 referendum), the Queen gave a speech during a visit to the country in 2000 (her 13th trip there) detailing the decision. the citizens.
“I have always made it clear that the future of the monarchy in Australia is an issue for you, the Australian people, and you alone to decide in a democratic and constitutional manner. It shouldn’t be any different,” she said.
In May 2018, shortly after Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, the Queen asked Cohen to work for the couple and shared her vast experience. She left the royal family in October 2019, after working for the institution for 18 years.
She has not publicly responded to the allegations of bullying surrounding the Duchess of Sussex – which the Duchess denies.
Cohen (pictured visiting Nyanga Township on September 23, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle) began working for the Sussexes after their wedding in May 2018, before leaving her work for the royal family in October 2019 left.
Despite formally leaving The Firm, Cohen was so trusted that she was asked to attend the January 2020 ‘Sandringham summit’ – the now infamous meeting where the royals and Harry struck the deals that would see him leave the family as senior working member and would move abroad.
Cohen, who was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2016 for her personal services to the monarch, went to work in 2022 for Boris Johnson, then chief of staff to the global CEO of the mining company Rio Tinto.
She left that role in September 2024 so she could spend more time with her family.
Her favorite job, she revealed during the interview, was working for the Queen, with highlights including the royal family’s delight at a day trip to Italy for lunch with then-President Napolitano. At the age of 88, the monarch had reduced her travels abroad.
While there they also visited Pope Francis, before returning to England. The Queen enjoyed taking a day trip to Europe – something she had not done before. As she boarded the plane home, she told Cohen, “Here you go, we did it.”
