The late Queen Elizabeth II was known by those closest to her for her sharp wit and dry sense of humour.

The public was often treated to glimpses of this side of her personality at engagements, such as during a meeting of G7 leaders in 2021.

Three generations of the Royal family were present for the Eden Project’s The Big Lunch initiative as the Queen, accompanied by Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate, attended an evening reception for G7 leaders on June 11, 2021.

The Queen, aged 95 at the time, was tasked with cutting a large cake to mark the occasion when she insisted on borrowing a ceremonial sword to do the task – prompting laughter from Kate and Camilla. 

She was handed the sword by Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho, the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall.

When an aide helpfully suggests she could use a standard knife to slice the cake, Queen Elizabeth joked: ‘I know there is. This is more unusual.’

The crowd erupted into laughter, including Kate. 

Camilla commented: ‘That’s slicing through’ before assisting with the final part of cutting the cake – which was loudly applauded by those at the event.

Queen Elizabeth II was known by those closest to her for her sharp wit and dry sense of humour

Three generations of the Royal family were present for the Eden Project’s The Big Lunch initiative on June 11, 2021

The Queen, aged 95, was tasked with cutting a large cake to mark the occasion when she insisted on borrowing a ceremonial sword to do the task – prompting laughter from Kate and Camilla

After handing the ceremonial sword back, the late Queen used a knife to cut a second slice of cake and remarked: ‘That looks very good.’

A clip of this moment was shared on social media to the amusal of royal observers.

One commenter wrote: ‘I can’t but help think that cutting a cake with a sword at a formal event would have been something the Duke of Edinburgh would have loved to have done- and a few months after his death, it’s likely that Her Majesty was thinking of how much of a laugh he would have had seeing her do it that possibly helped inspire her to do it in his memory!’ 

 The late Queen was clearly on her game during the weekend, making the crowd laugh during a photocall of G7 leaders. 

She said: ‘Are you supposed to be looking as if you’re enjoying yourselves?’

The crowd chuckled, prompting prime minister Boris Johnson to respond: ‘We have been enjoying ourselves in spite of appearances.’ 

The event was her last official visit in 2021 and marked her first engagement since the coronavirus pandemic.

It was also the first time the Queen had met the former US President Joe Biden since he had taken office.

When an aide helpfully suggests she could use a standard knife to slice the cake, Queen Elizabeth II joked: ‘I know there is. This is more unusual’

The late Queen was handed the sword by Edward Bolitho, the Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall

Lindsey Brummitt, who hosted the event, told Greatest Hits Cornwall: ‘It was really daunting in one sense because you’re meeting this amazing figurehead and this women who’s led an incredible 70 year reign.

‘She’s very sharp, she’s got a great sense of humour. It was an incredible privilege to host her majesty here on site.

‘The Lord Lieutenant Edward Bolitho offered his sword when she came to the cake cutting moment. I think we were all a little nervous because the sword was actually upside down and her fingers were pressing on the sharp side so we were nervous about having a bit of a problem but no. It was a wonderful humorous moment.

‘I’ve seen some similarly large knives being proffered for cake cutting since so I think the idea has taken off’.

The event in 2021 signalled the start of an ongoing tradition for the Queen, as she joked with visitors while cutting a cake.

The Queen later cut a cake with a very large knife during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

She made guests laugh as she joked about cutting a cake during a special reception for the historic milestone – with attendees saying she was on ‘sparkling’ form.

During the event, her Majesty was presented with a locally baked cake and a large knife and was invited to cut the first slice. 

The Queen later cut a cake with a very large knife during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations

The late Queen made guests laugh as she joked about cutting a cake during a special reception for the historic milestone – with attendees saying she was on ‘sparkling’ form.

Plunging the blade in, she made guests laugh when she joked: ‘I think I might just put the knife in it… someone else can do the rest’.

And in December 2023 Queen Camilla paid tribute to her mother-in-law as she cheekily cut a cake with a sword.

The royal, aged 76 at the time, used the device as she joined staff and community members at homelessness charity Emmaus Bristol.

She was also handed a ceremonial sword by Peaches Golding, Lord Lieutenant of Bristol, to cut a birthday cake.

She told Camilla that she had celebrated her own 70th birthday the day before: ‘I tested it last night, just to make sure,’ she smiled.

‘There we are, that’s a very good slice,’ said Camilla, lifting the sword from the sponge. 

‘We’ll get another one there, not a very elegant slice,’ she said to laughter and applause.

Camilla, the Queen Consort, paid tribute to her mother-in-law in December 2023 as she cheekily cut a cake with a sword

The late Queen’s sense of humour remained a constant throughout her life – even in challenging times.

In the final months of her life, she melted the nation’s hearts after sharing afternoon tea with Paddington Bear, which was played at her Platinum Jubilee celebrations and became a highlight of the event.

She was known for her amusing one-liners and knew how to make everyone feel at ease at official events.

In 2017, the Monarch’s former protection officer Richard Griffin shared a glimpse into the Queen’s brand of deadpan humour while speaking to The Times.

He recalled that during a walk around Balmoral at a time of year where it was opened to the public, tourists who didn’t recognise the Monarch asked her if she had ever meet the Queen.

Griffin revealed she said ‘No’ before pointing at the policeman and adding: ‘But he has.’

ROYAL CAKE CUTTING IN PICTURES

Most of us like a slice of cake – and for members of the Royal Family, there is no shortage of opportunity.

But few of us would find cutting into strawberry sponge quite such an amusing experience – as the King and Queen showed us once again during a visit to Northern Ireland.

Here, The Mail’s Royals section rounds up some just a few of the many moments where the prospect of cake cutting has brought on gales of Royal laughter…   

King Charles and Queen Camilla pictured laughing as they cut a cake during a visit to open the new Coronation Garden on their two-day visit to Northern Ireland

It’s laughs all round for Princess Anne and Sophie, then Duchess of Wessex, as the late Queen Elizabeth cuts a cake at the Centenary Annual Meeting of The National Federation Of Women’s Institute at the Royal Albert Hall on June 4, 2015 

Even Kate thinks it’s a laugh. The Princess of Wales takes great care with this cake as she visits  Robin Hood Primary School to celebrate ten years of The Royal Horticultural Society campaign for school gardening in  2017 

Prince Edward knows the form as he cheerfully cuts birthday cake during a visit to the London Air Ambulance at the Royal London Hospital on March 10, 2014

Charles seems overcome as he slices into a birthday cake during a Waste-To-Wealth Summit at Southwark Integrated Waste Management Facility in 2018

Queen Elizabeth employs a sword – to general amusement on June 11, 2021 in St Austell, Cornwall

King Charles was in a fit of laughter as he and Queen Camilla cut a cake to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Heart of Wales railway line at Llandovery Train Station on July 4, 2018