EXCLUSIVE: Queen Elizabeth Gun Drama — How Late Monarch Refused to Open Airport Terminal As Cousin Was Barred From Taking Firearm on Plane
Queen Elizabeth refused to open an airport terminal after her cousin was barred from taking a gun onboard.
Oct. 8 2025, Published 5:34 p.m. ET
Queen Elizabeth once refused to open an airport terminal after her cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, was prevented from boarding a plane to Balmoral with his guns. RadarOnline.com can reveal Mountbatten, 62, a third cousin once removed of the late monarch, recalled the incident on British royal commentator Gyles Brandreth's "Rosebud" podcast.
The aristocrat was traveling to the Scottish Highlands for a family shooting weekend when staff at Bristol Airport blocked him from taking his shotguns on board, prompting a typically sharp – and humorous – reaction from the Queen.
The Queen's Witty Response
Queen Elizabeth once refused to open an airport terminal over a gun dispute.
According to Mountbatten, when he told her about the episode over tea at Balmoral, she "looked at me over her glasses with a glint in her eye" and said: "They want me to open their new terminal. I don't think I will now."
A royal source said: "It was classic Elizabeth – firm, dry, and quietly decisive. She didn't shout or make a scene, but if something annoyed her, she had a way of making the point that no one could miss. It was her version of a protest, carried off with total composure."
The Queen, who died in 2022 at the age of 96, was renowned for her composure and restraint – qualities that became emblematic of what was often called her "stiff upper lip."
Whether navigating constitutional crises or personal family scandals, she rarely allowed emotion to show in public, preferring to let subtle gestures or understated remarks speak volumes.
A Balmoral Anecdote With Royal Humor
The Queen reacted with humor and quiet defiance after hearing the story.
Mountbatten added the plane incident took place during one of the royal family's annual late-summer gatherings at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, the late Queen's beloved private estate.
"We got on the flight and we turn up at Balmoral, ushered into the drawing room and immediately go in to tea," he said. "I was irritated by the story, so I repeated it to Her Majesty. And I could see that she was getting rather irritated as well."
He said the Queen immediately turned to her equerry, thought to be Lieutenant Colonel Simon Brailsford, and instructed him to ensure the guns were brought north by the next morning – a task that was swiftly completed.
Bristol Terminal Later Opened by Princess Anne
The Bristol terminal was later opened by Princess Anne in 2015.
The Bristol Airport terminal in question was later opened by the Princess Royal in 2015, several years after the incident.
"Every time I go back to Bristol Airport now, it was opened by the Princess Royal and I have a quiet laugh to myself," Mountbatten said.
Another insider familiar with the Queen's approach to such moments said: "She could be incredibly shrewd in how she expressed displeasure. She wouldn't issue ultimatums, but people always understood exactly where they stood. Refusing to open that terminal would have been her way of sending a message – politely but unmistakably."
Subtle Strength Defined Her Reign
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Insiders said the Queen used calm gestures to make her point.
Throughout her record 70-year reign, the late Queen was often described as the embodiment of stoicism and self-discipline.
Former courtiers have said she believed "never complain, never explain" was more than a motto – it was a duty. Even in moments of irritation, as this story shows, her response was characteristically measured, wrapped in wit rather than anger.
As one royal aide put it: "The Queen didn't lose her temper – she simply raised an eyebrow, made a quiet comment, and the world took notice. That's what made her so formidable."
