Alex Trebek says Queen Elizabeth II forgot him overnight after a long chat

Alex Trebek looks back on his childhood, his career, marriages, and his cancer diagnosis in his memoir "The Answer Is... Reflections on My Life" where he also fondly remembers his memorable encounter with Queen Elizabeth II in 1967.

The "Jeopardy!" host met the British monarch when he hosted a variety show to honour Canada's centennial year. During that time, he was working as a host for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The event invited special guests and Trebek recalled that "there were also many dignitaries, foremost among them Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip." He was lining up to meet the royals and when the queen got to him she said, "Good show. Please tell me your name, and where you are from."

Trebek noticed that Queen Elizabeth II glanced back to see where Prince Philip was. He had hung back a little so she was stuck talking with him. He remembered that they struck up a friendly conversation about horses.

"You're not supposed to lead the conversation with the queen. She loved horses, and once she found out I was hosting the Canadian Triple Crown of racing, we spent much of our discussion on that," Trebek wrote in his memoir as quoted by ET.

The 79-year-old host remembered that they chatted for about five minutes and his friends marvelled about it afterwards. They approached him and he told them he and the queen "just got along." He recalled that his "phone was ringing off the hook" that night.

The following day, Trebek met Queen Elizabeth II again. He thought that the monarch would remember him from their friendly chat the other day but his expectations were not met.

"As she approached me, I was thinking, 'Here comes my new best friend. I wonder what we'll talk about today?' I stood a little taller. My chest swelled up. I smiled. And when she got to me, she said, 'Good show. Please tell me your name, and where you are from," Trebek recalled fondly.

In an interview about his memoir, Trebek credited Queen Elizabeth II for teaching him a lesson about humility. He said it is one story that readers will look forward to in the book which hits shelves on July 21.