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Passage Two

The Queen has only given one interview while a sovereign(君主). Her true personality remains elusive to the public. However, one thing is clear: Queen Elizabeth is an introvert.Introverts prefer quiet environments and feel energized from spending time alone or with people they know well. They aren’t necessarily shy, but they do tend to be more reserved and guarded with strangers. Fellow introverts will appreciate how draining an average day for Her Majesty must be.

Fortunately, the Queen has some tricks to make public engagements easier. Just like us commoners rely on friends to save us from awkward situations or boring conversations, she subtly signals to her staff when she wants an intervention(介入）. If she places her handbag on the table, it indicates that she wants the event to end in the next five minutes. For more urgent situations, putting her bag on the floor shows that she wants her lady-in-waiting to rescue her immediately.

Most comfortable in the countryside, the Queen has a well-known passion for horses and dogs. There is a scene in the hit Netflix show The Crown which reveals a fascinating side of the monarch. While giving Jackie Kennedy a personal tour of Buckingham Palace, the two women find themselves bonding over their respective positions as introverted women who have found themselves in the limelight. Surrounded by the Queen’s beloved corgis, both women admit they are happiest around animals and that their extroverted sisters would have been much better suited to their public roles.