‘Sense of fun’: Queen’s former Aussie assistant Sam Cohen remembers

An Aussie woman who was once the Queen’s assistant private secretary shares her own memories of the much-loved monarch.

The Queen was a “cornucopia of contradictions”, shy and funny, reserved and feisty, her former Australian-born assistant private secretary Sam Cohen has remarked.

The Brisbane-born Cohen, who worked as a communications and later assistant private secretary to the Queen for 11 years, said she loved it when things didn’t always go according to plan such was her humour.

Sam Cohen was assistant private secretary to the Queen and is pictured here at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. Picture: Pool/Max Mumby/Getty Images)

She was feminine but tough, kind but authoritative and in essence pioneered concepts like work-life balances by understanding her public and private lives were very different.

“The Queen’s sense of fun and curiosity made it easy for her to embrace change,” Ms Cohen, who the Queen nicknamed ‘The Panther’, said.

“When it was suggested that she might wish to embrace social media she sat through the demonstration and immediately said ‘yes’ to a Royal YouTube channel. When it was launched in 2007 with the annual Christmas broadcast, phone calls came in from the White House and the Vatican asking if they could follow her lead.”

Sam Cohen (back centre) with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and the Queen at a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge in 2018 in Widnes, England. This was Meghan’s first engagement with the Queen. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Ms Cohen said the Queen, whom she described as ‘our rock’ and Northern Star, was devoid of ego and delighted in experiences at odds with her role and global profile.

“The Queen was a woman, a mother, a monarch,” she said. “She suffered many of the tragedies and challenges that affect all families yet she remained resilient and strong.”

Ms Cohen in 2016 was appointed the Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and in 2017 took on the role of interim secretary to Meghan Markle for six months.

Originally published as ‘Sense of fun’: Queen’s former Aussie assistant Sam Cohen remembers