Why Queen Elizabeth II carries her own box of chocolates during visits

Queen Elizabeth II trusts no one, especially not her own family, when it comes to her stash of chocolates.

Lady Pamela Hicks, the Queen's second cousin and her former lady-in-waiting, revealed that the monarch carries her own box of sweet treats during her visits because her chocolate '"greedy" family would eat the lot before she had any. In a new ITV documentary "My Years With The Queen," Lady Pamela explained that her cousin liked to bring a box of chocolates for the hostess whenever she went to stay with someone, but also liked a box for herself which she wouldn't have to share, reports The Mirror.

Lady Pamela, the daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten, great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and cousin to Prince Philip, said it was not the hosts, but the Queen's own side of the family who had troubles leaving her chocolates untouched.

"She does have her own box of chocolates and has learnt to keep it in her room otherwise she says the family are so greedy they all eat them before she can. Not our family her family," Lady Pamela recalled.

There was also an incident where the Queen's chocolates were stolen by a totally unexpected thief. When Lady Pamela returned from India, she brought along her new pet mongoose named Nayola, who loved entering the Queen's bedroom and stealing her tasty treats.

Recalling the conversation she had with the Queen when the latter discovered the thief, Lady Pamela said: "One evening we were waiting for her to come down to dinner and it was very unusual for The Queen that she was four or five minutes late. She said to me, 'I don't mind Nayola coming into my room, in fact I quite enjoy it. I don't mind Nayola opening my box of chocolate but does he always have to take a bite out of every one?'"

In the documentary, which aired on Thursday, April 1, Lady Pamela has shared some interesting anecdotes about the Queen. She also recalled a tour they had in Australia where the monarch got elated when people couldn't recognise her.

"She cheered up considerably when a boatload of trippers appeared shouting whether we had seen The Queen, where is she? Lillibet in slacks, tore down to the beach, pointed to the other side of the island and yelled, 'she went that-a-way' and jumped up and down with joy as the boat disappeared around the corner," the 91-year-old revealed.