Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has "street sense" - according to the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II
The 89-year-old royal is also "very, very shrewd" and acted savvy in the wake of the death of her son Prince Charle's wife, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Mr Blair, 62, made the comments during an interview with ITV News and added it was a "very difficult time" for the royal family but the Queen felt the public's mourning and "adjusted" to it.
He explained: "That is her hallmark. I mean she is very, very shrewd in just a - what in another walk of life you would call almost a street sense."
Commenting on the live broadcast she made to the nation on the eve of Diana's funeral, he added: "She got the balance between showing emotion and retaining the respect and dignity of the of the monarchy... She reflected, she thought about it, she adjusted, she moved, and she then recovered her poise, and as a result of this, here we are 20 years or so on, and she is undoubtedly one of the most popular monarchs of all time."
The Former Prime Minister also credits Elizabeth - who turns 90 on Thursday (21.04.16) - with keeping the monarchy current and steering the institution the future.
He said: "The monarchy as an institution, and the Royal Family as a family have a very keen sense of history, they know there will be ups and downs in the future , but what they have really discovered under this monarch is the ability to move with the times whilst retaining the essence of the institution."
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