This Toddler Met the Queen of England and Immediately Threw a Giant Tantrum at Her

Toddlers are unpredictable. Toddlers do not care if you are discussing important political affairs on BBC World News, and they do not care if the nice old lady in front of them is the Queen of England, as one adorable two-year-old proved this week when he met her majesty and proceeded to break protocol by greeting her with a full-on toddler shit-fit right on live TV.

According to the Telegraph, two-year-old Alfie Lunn was dressed up in his best little toddler suit and charged with presenting a bouquet of flowers to the Queen at the unveiling of a memorial to those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, he flung himself around and sat down on the floor and refused to budge. His mother kept her cool, but clearly had that, “Oh my God, we are in a public place!” look that we parents get when our toddlers do this sort of thing while we have to be on our best behavior, too.

Alfie was eventually convinced to hand the bouquet to the Queen, but he did try to grab one of the flowers back as soon as she’d taken them.

Prince Phillip appeared to think this was hilarious.

The Queen, of course, was smiling and gracious and very understanding throughout the whole encounter. She has had several children and grandchildren, and she currently has several great-grandchildren just Alfie’s age, so she understands toddlers. On top of all that, she’s the head of the Royal family, and they are basically trained from birth to be unflappable in public. A man once climbed through her bedroom window in the middle of the night, and she just chatted with him to keep him busy while security came. This is not a woman who is going to be flummoxed by a tantrum.

Alfie also met Prime Minister Theresa May and immediately tried to grab the pearl necklace from around her neck.

Lest anyone think Alfie’s parents are undisciplined or do not understand protocol or how to behave in important situations, both of his parents are veterans.  His mother, Corporal Michele Lunn, served in Afghanistan, and his father, Sergeant Mark Lunn, served in Iraq and Afghanistan and has been decorated for courage and devotion to duty.

Toddler freak-outs can happen to anyone, even uniformed military personnel standing in front of the Queen of England. A meltdown in the candy aisle is nothing.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkcrbyDlPy4]