Why Queen Elizabeth apologised to Paul Hogan during their 1980 meeting
Paul Hogan has reflected on his 1980 meeting with Queen Elizabeth, and what caused the late monarch to apologise to the actor.
The Crocodile Dundee icon spoke with Tracy Grimshaw on A Current Affair, her last interview before leaving the program after 17 years, and recalled the moment he got a lot of "flack" for his choice of outfit to meet the royals.
Grimshaw brought up a photo from the book of Hogan meeting the Queen after he performed in the Royal Charity Concert at Sydney Opera House in 1980.
When they met, Hogan donned a cut off flannel shirt, stubby shorts and footy socks.
"I love that shot," the actor said. "I got a lot of flack over that but the Queen didn't mind."
Hogan has said in previous interviews that "everyone was horrified" by what he wore that night when he met the royals, with the exception of Queen Elizabeth.
Hogan told Grimshaw that the late Queen had apologised to him during their brief meeting after she "won" a prize to have dinner at his home.
"The show we did at the Opera House for entertaining her, part of the thing I did was to pretend to draw the lucky seat prize," he said.
"I drew two names out, which obviously was the Queen and Philip, and said the prize that they'd won was dinner at my place, and told them how to get there, what bus to catch and all that kind of stuff - was all funny."
"But when I met her, she then leaned over and said, 'I'm sorry dear, I don't think we'll be able to make dinner', which is great, she's got a sense of humour."
Hogan also shared an update on his health battle, telling Grimshaw that he'd lost a lot of weight and was being "held together with string".
"I had a problem on the aorta and the kidney and the treatment fixed it but it shrunk me," he said.
"I'd still take out most 40-year-olds then I turned 80 and there's a saying that turning 80's not for sissies because things start to fall apart but, no, I can't complain."
Image credits: A Current Affair