Get this: Queen Elizabeth has used not one, but two body doubles! And one of them was just sent
to the slammer! So… what was this person locked up for? The answer may shock you.
It's no secret that Queen Elizabeth has been having a tough year dealing
with ongoing health concerns. In 2022 alone, the queen has been diagnosed with COVID-19,
as well as struggling with mobility issues that have kept her from some
of her favorite annual events — and even part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Fortunately,
the queen has been able to make do with her inability to attend some events in person.
After the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the queen has become seasoned in attending events virtually,
something she has had to continue to utilize even as life goes back to normal.
So, when news broke that the queen's stunt double was arrested,
some fans may have assumed she had a double filling in for her when her health concerns
were too much to ignore. That is far from the case, however.
The stunt double in question is actually a man named Gary Connery. According to CNN,
he played the queen in a skit for the 2012 Olympic Games, which took place
in London. The skit included a performance by the actual queen, where she starred alongside
Daniel Craig as James Bond. It ended with "the queen" jumping from a plane. Of course,
the elderly Queen Elizabeth couldn't perform that stunt herself, so the help of a double
was enlisted. Now, that man has found himself involved in a severe and shocking legal case.
According to CNN, Gary Connery was arrested for domestic violence charges after a startling
attack on his girlfriend. The violent attack, in which Connery threw his girlfriend down a
flight of stairs, resulting in her shoulder shattering, took place in October of 2020.
Connery was convicted of grievous bodily harm without intent at Oxford Crown Court
in August of 2022. Tanya Brass, the victim of the violence, spoke in court, stating,
"I just want Gary to take responsibility for what he has done and how he has
impacted my family. The impact on every aspect of my life has been enormous."
The judge ruled in favor of Brass, stating to Connery in court,
"You show no remorse for what happened, and you do not seem to accept any fault on your behalf."
He added that he does not see rehabilitation as an option
for Connery and imposed a restraining order. The judge told Connery in court,
"Throwing somebody down the stairs, as I am quite satisfied you did,
can result in extremely serious injuries. In this case, it resulted in injuries which were serious."
Believe it or not, Gary Connery is not the only person to double as Queen Elizabeth.
According to Marie Claire UK, the queen has had a different body double for the last 30
years. That double is a woman named Ella Slack, who came into the equation while
she was employed at the BBC. Slack told the YouTube channel, Great Big Story, about her
time as a body double for the queen. It started when the BBC got footage of the queen. However,
the queen complained of the sun being in her eyes, so she hoped the broadcasting
company could do something about it. In came Slack. Slack recalls saying to the producers,
"'Would you like me to come and stand in the position
for you?' because all the stage managers were six-foot men!"
However, she made it clear that she is not doing more than standing in. Slack told Great Big Story,
"I've probably been a 'stand-in' Queen more than fifty times."
Slack went on to add:
"A stand-in not a lookalike — I don't look like
the Queen — but I'm the same sort of stature and height."
Slack has ridden in the royal carriage, but that's about where it ends for the double. She's
never sat on the throne, nor has she attended any events in place of the queen. She does,
however, occasionally fill in for the queen at rehearsals for big events!