EXCLUSIVE: Queen Elizabeth's 'Rare Temper Tantrum' Resurfaces in Royal Biography
Queen Elizabeth showed a human side with a 'rare temper tantrum,' according to a royal nanny.
Aug. 23 2026, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
Queen Elizabeth II is said to have once unleashed a childhood tantrum which ended with her dumping a silver inkpot over her French teacher's head – a remarkable episode given the late monarch's famously controlled public persona, Radaronline.com can reveal.
Elizabeth, who died aged 96 in 2022, apparently lost her temper during a childhood French lesson, decades before becoming the restrained and dutiful monarch who rarely betrayed her emotions in public.
Childhood Tantrum Reveals Rare Moment of Defiance
Queen Elizabeth II threw a rare childhood temper tantrum during a lesson, according to a royal nanny.
The story was first told by royal nanny Marion Crawford in her book The Little Princesses, which has been resurfaced in Craig Brown's biography Q: A Voyage Around The Queen.
One royal source also told Radar in an exclusive interview: "It's such an extraordinary story precisely because it seems completely at odds with the Elizabeth the world eventually knew. She became almost synonymous with self-control and keeping her emotions private, so imagining her losing her temper so spectacularly as a little girl is quite something."
Crawford recalled hearing "curious sounds" from the room where the young then-princess Elizabeth was having her French lesson with a teacher known as Mademoiselle.
She wrote: "I found poor Mademoiselle shattered and transfixed with horror."
Crawford claimed "Lilibet (Elizabeth's nickname), rebelling all of a sudden, and goaded by boredom to violent measures" had emptied a "big ornamental silver inkpot" over her teacher.
The nanny also said she discovered Mademoiselle "with ink trickling down her face and slowly dyeing her golden curls blue."
Crawford admitted she "never really got to the bottom of what had happened," because the shaken teacher "was past explaining" and ultimately "had to retire and drink water."
Queen Elizabeth Proved She Was 'Wonderfully Human'
Royal nanny Marion Crawford witnessed the chaotic aftermath of the alleged incident.
The episode stands in dramatic contrast to the image Elizabeth cultivated throughout seven decades on the throne.
From her accession in 1952 until her death, Elizabeth became celebrated for maintaining composure through political upheaval, family scandals and personal tragedy.
She was rarely seen displaying anger publicly and became associated instead with the restrained "never complain, never explain" approach traditionally linked with royal life.
Another source claimed: "Elizabeth learned incredibly early that being royal meant controlling what the outside world was allowed to see. Whatever frustration, sadness, or anger she experienced privately, she developed an extraordinary ability to keep it away from public view. That's why this childhood outburst feels so wonderfully human."
Maintaining Composure Through National Crisis and Scandal
Queen Elizabeth cultivated a remarkably controlled public persona throughout her long reign.
Her composure became particularly visible during moments of national crisis, when the Queen was expected to provide stability rather than display her own emotions.
Even during the turbulent breakdown of the marriages of three of her children in 1992 – the year she famously described as her "annus horribilis" – Elizabeth publicly maintained her characteristic restraint.
The same approach continued through the death of Princess Diana in 1997 and the numerous controversies that subsequently engulfed the royal family.
Brown highlighted how unusual the inkpot incident appears when viewed against Elizabeth's subsequent character.
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Queen Elizabeth quietly approved removing Andrew Windsor from his official public duties.
He wrote that "the rest of (Elizabeth's) life was measured and obedient and considerate."
A source added: "There are countless stories illustrating the Queen's patience and discipline, but very few involving anything resembling a tantrum. That's what makes this one stand out. Long before she became the embodiment of royal restraint, apparently even Lilibet could finally reach the point where she'd simply had enough."
Elizabeth maintained her trademark composure even as Andrew Windsor's friendship with convicted predator Jeffrey Epstein engulfed the monarchy.
She initially remained supportive of her son, but after his disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview, she quietly approved his withdrawal from public duties and later removed his military affiliations and royal patronages.
