How Queen Elizabeth Surprised Cricket Player After Refusing to Give Autograph

Queen Elizabeth glares while wearing a green suit and matching hat — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II was known for many things, from trolling American tourists at Balmoral to doing the conga in Buckingham Palace. And according to a famous sportsperson who met the late monarch in the '70s, Elizabeth was incredibly witty and full of surprises.

Australian cricket player Dennis Lillee recalled meeting Queen Elizabeth II in 1977 at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. Writing in his biography Menace, Lillee revealed that he asked the British monarch for her autograph, a request she immediately denied. According to Lillee, the late Queen said she "couldn't do it in front of all the people at the ground and watching on television because she would be stopped and asked wherever she went," via the Express.

As for why Lillee requested Elizabeth's autograph—in spite of it breaking royal protocol—the cricket player wrote in his book, "I asked because she was the ultimate hero to me, she was 'our' Queen. I had thought about it and took something out for her to sign. I understood her explanation and forgot all about it until a week or so [later]."

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Queen Elizabeth shakes hands with cricket player Max Walker, and to his left is Dennis Lillee at Lords Cricket Ground in London on July 31, 1975 — Queen Elizabeth shakes hands with cricket player Max Walker in July 1975, as Dennis Lillee watches [second from right].

Writing in Menace, Lillee shared the special surprise Queen Elizabeth arranged for him in lieu of an autograph. "An aide-de-camp from the palace got in touch and asked me for my address as The Queen wanted to send me a signed photograph," he explained. "You could have picked me up off the floor and the picture takes pride of place in my house, the only memorabilia displayed apart from a few things in my office."

Queen Elizabeth at the 2012 Olympics in a peach dress — "The Queen wanted to send me a signed photograph," the cricket player recalled.

Lillee continued, "It's a picture of me being introduced to The Queen at the very moment I was asking for her autograph, and it's signed 'Elizabeth R, 1977.'" Describing how he felt about the incident, the sportsperson wrote, "You can imagine how chuffed I was. I had probably embarrassed her and all the cricket officials but, at the time, I could not see the reason not to ask."

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.