The Queen went on a secret trip to Harrods to buy Christmas presents, it is claimed. The episode came to light in Lady Anne Glenconner's new memoir Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown.
The peeress served as maid of honour at the Queen's coronation and was also lady-in-waiting to her friend Princess Margaret.
In her bestseller she describes how she once told an Australian diplomat about the monarch's shopping habits. Lady Glenconner met Sir Roden Cutler VC while accompanying Princess Margaret on a royal tour to Sydney in 1975.
She claims Sir Roden was stunned when the Queen's sister asked to go shopping. According to her account, the diplomat said he 'did not think the royal family went shopping', adding: "I
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