Queen Elizabeth II holds video call with military personnel

Queen Elizabeth II recently held a rare video call with representatives from the Armed Forces and was left chuckling during the interaction when a pilot told her about his unusual workout regime.

When Lance Corporal Shanwayne Stephens of The Queen's Colour Squadron told the queen that he is a pilot for the Jamaican bobsleigh team, Queen Elizabeth II gasped and giggled saying: "Gosh! Sounds a very dangerous job." The royal then asked the military personnel how does he train, to which Stephens responded by saying that he has resorted to "unorthodox" training methods as gyms remain closed amid coronavirus lockdown.

"I've been pushing a car up and down the street," Stephens said. The 94-year-old monarch, amused by his training methods, exclaimed "Oh!" before beginning to chuckle again. "Well I suppose that's one way to train," she said.

The queen, who is also the Head of the Armed Forces, had joined the call from her Windsor Castle to hear about the work the British Armed Forces have been carrying out in the United Kingdom as well as overseas as the COVID-19 crisis continues. The WebEx call was joined by representatives from the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, as well as the Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Nick Carter.

While Lance Corporal Shanwayne Stephens represented Royal Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel Barrie Terry of The Yorkshire Regiment represented British Army during the call. Terry, whose wife Anya works for the National Health Service in Gloucester, told the queen that he has not seen his spouse or his children since November last year due to travel restrictions in place due to the global pandemic.

Able Rate Sophie Levy, 22, representing the Royal Navy, joined the call from her first operational deployment onboard RFA Argus (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) off Curaçao in the Caribbean. A native of Windsor, Sophie is an aircraft handler in 1700 Naval Air Squadron, responsible for ensuring the safety of aircraft and crew on the flight deck, preparing aircraft for operations, and ensuring the ship's company is ready to react to any emergencies.

Sophie had earlier met the monarch in 2014 when she was a 16-year-old Sea Cadet. "I would think the last time I saw you, you wouldn't have imagined that this is what you would be doing now," the queen said to her.