Queen's chicken-pox quip

The Queen was able to joke about her illness

A letter which has been hidden for 30 years shows the rarely seen humorous side of the Queen.

In it she describes being "covered in spots" after a bout of chicken pox.

The note to then Prime Minister Edward Heath is among papers which are being made public for the first time under the 30-year rule.

It seems a ridiculous disease to catch, especially when it isn't even from one's own children!

The Queen

Mr Heath, who had written to "commiserate" with her in November 1971, said: "I am afraid that it is an uncomfortable complaint, but I am glad to think that it is not serious, and I send you my best wishes for a quick recovery."

In a handwritten reply sent from Windsor Castle five days later, the Queen wrote: "My dear Prime Minister, how very kind of you to write and sympathise - it seems a ridiculous disease to catch, especially when it isn't even from one's own children!"

"The doctors say that I have had chickenpox quite mildly for a grown-up - but it is not much consolation when one is covered in spots!

"I trust by Tuesday I shall be completely free of all possible infection, but I have been told not to go amongst crowds in case of reinfection from them - one can't win from a virus."

Royal bore

Among other newly-released official correspondence is a wire from concerned staff at the British High Commission in Nairobi to the Foreign Office.

A British man selected to host a dinner party for Princess Anne on a visit to Kenya had been heard complaining loudly that entertaining her would be "boring".

Entertaining Anne a 'bore' said Brit in Kenya

The wire from Nairobi says the man was "doubtless trying to be funny or clever or `one-up', but I am doubtful of the wisdom of allowing him to entertain HRH after publicly expressing, for whatever reason, sentiments of this nature."

The foreign office wired back and said it was "inclined to rise above it and continue with arrangements already made".

But it ends that it is presumed that the High commission official "is conveying a personal and presumably fairly acid message" to the man about the "unfortunate incident".