When your godmother is the Queen of England, you can expect certain... privileges. What you might not expect is to learn that she's actually quite a trickster!
Earl Charles Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, is one of 30 godchildren of Queen Elizabeth II's. And as he told TODAY on Friday, he and she have long had a relationship that was less royal, than of close family.
Take the time she gave him what he thought was a book as a 10th birthday present. He brought it to his "straight English boarding school where there weren't many privileges," where he discovered it was actually ... a radio!
MORE: Queen Elizabeth personally thanks man who sent her Christmas cards for 60 years
"It did look like a rather odd looking book, but in fact [it meant that I] was sneaking in a radio," he explained.
Radios weren't allowed in school but, well ... "Nobody was going to turn away a present I got for my birthday from the Queen!" he added. "It was a very good godmotherly trick."
These days, the celebration is being turned toward the queen, who turned 90 in April. But she's getting a second multiday celebration now thanks to historical tradition. As Spencer noted, George II was "born in the depths of winter, and they decided they couldn't celebrate his birthday in the winter every year because there's all sorts of pageantry."
So George decided he'd have a second birthday, and the idea stuck. "Anyone who's been King or Queen of England since has a summer birthday, so that we have a hope of some sunshine," he said.
MORE: Queen Elizabeth holds Princess Charlotte in new photos by Annie Leibovitz
And that's just one more reason why it's great to be king (or queen)!
Follow Randee Dawn on Twitter.