There was a time when swearing at the monarch would have resulted in being sent straight to the Tower.
But thankfully compassion rather than beheading was more in vogue when youth worker John Davidson met the late Queen Elizabeth II – and suddenly blurted out some rather choice words in the process.
‘F*** the Queen!’ he shouted, just as she handed him a much-coveted MBE at Holyrood in 2019.
But rather than flinching, the Queen remained ‘kind’ and ‘as calm and assured as my granny’, adding the Monarch had been well-briefed on his daily experience of living with Tourette’s Syndrome, he told The Times.
The neurological condition, characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics, affects roughly one in 100 children, according to NHS England.
More commonly, those with the condition are known to repeat their own or others’ words, but around 10 per cent are affected by Coprolalia – otherwise known as sudden outbursts of swearing.
In an ironic way, it was for the very reason he turns the air blue that John came to be awarded an MBE – for he has worked tirelessly over the years to heighten awareness of the condition.
Today the campaigner – who featured in the iconic 1980s documentary John’s Not Mad – is acknowledged as the leading national advocate for Tourette’s Syndrome.
Recalling the ‘proudest’ moment of his life when he was handed his MBE, John revealed that on the day, aside from swearing at the Queen, he experienced a compulsion to tell police officers at Holyrood Palace that he had ‘a f***ing bomb!’ as they routinely checked his vehicle.
He also shouted ‘I’m a paedo!’ as he walked down the corridor of the historic palace.
John, of Galashiels, Scotland, said: ‘The tic urge often comes when I’m anxious, stressed or tired and then it’s an exhausting mental battle telling myself, “John, that’s the absolute worst thing you could do in this moment,” and then trying not to do it.’
Thankfully, the Monarch reacted just in the right way when John’s condition struck at the very moment of meeting her.
He added: ‘I never thought I’d even have a life, let alone be able to help people and get recognised for it.’
His anecdote about the late Queen comes as a new memoir and film, both aptly-called I Swear, are set to be released in October.
It charts his experience being diagnosed as a youngster and his involvement in a groundbreaking edition of the BBC documentary series QED called John’s Not Mad.
The film shone a spotlight on Tourette’s and propelled John into an unexpected role in life to become an advocate for others.
Working alongside Tourette’s Action and Tourette Scotland, John has since given hundreds of public talks, visited schools and run workshops to help those living with the condition.
