The Truth About Alex Trebek's Run-In With The Royals
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In July 2020, beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek's memoir — cleverly titled The Answer Is ... Reflections on My Life – hit book shelves everywhere. The autobiography, which is a comprehensive look at Trebek's life, made its debut the day before the game show host's 80th birthday, per the Los Angeles Times.
While Trebek — who is known, in part, for his iconic mustache – is famous for his role on Jeopardy!, he's also received further public attention in light of his health struggles. In March 2019, Trebek announced that he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. In fact, it was that diagnosis that motivated Trebek to write his life story. He wrote in his book (via US Weekly): "I want people to know a little more about the person they have been cheering on for the past year."
While it's enough to make us cry, Trebek shares some really funny stories in his memoir. Want to know one of the best ones? He met Queen Elizabeth and things didn't exactly go as planned.
Alex Trebek might not be that memorable to royalty
In his memoir, The Answer Is ... Reflections on My Life, Alex Trebek shares some funny moments and reflects on things that have happened over the years. Cast in point? In 1967, Trebek was working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, according to Us Weekly. Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, were visiting to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada and Trebek was hosting a variety show in honor of the occasion.
Trebek writes of the momentous occasion (via US Weekly): "The Queen got to me and said, 'Good show. Please tell me your name, and where you are from.' And as I began answering her, I couldn't help but notice that she glanced over her shoulder to see where Prince Philip was ... So, the Queen was stuck talking to me for 4 or 5 minutes."
The iconic host wrote that he talked about horses since he knew the queen loved them, recalling (via Entertainment Tonight), "once she found out I was hosting the Canadian Triple Crown of racing, we spent much of our discussion on that."
The next day, there was another event where Trebek saw the queen. He waited in line, eagerly anticipating their follow-up conversation. He writes (via ET): "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."
Lol! Don't worry, Trebek. You're memorable to us!