The Queen is just an ordinary person with a great sense of humour, the Archbishop of York said on Saturday.
Dr John Sentamu said the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh both loved to joke - often pulling people's legs without them realising.
The Archbishop opened the gardens of his Bishopthorpe Palace residence in York to the public today to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.
Dr Sentamu, who was five days away from his third birthday at the time of the Queen's Coronation, said: "The thing about the Queen is she's just an ordinary English person with a great sense of humour.
"If you're not very careful, she could pull your leg without you realising she's pulling your leg. She has no airs and graces.
"And behind her is Prince Philip, who is always cracking jokes. Her and Prince Philip together - oh my goodness."
The Archbishop said the Queen had brought liberty, freedom and justice to Britain during her reign.
He added: "She has a real devotion to duty, sense of responsibility, a love of God and a love of the people and of this great nation. Those things combined make this a great celebration."
Dr Sentamu described the Queen as having an incredible knowledge and said: "Her mind, her attention to people, the thing about the Queen is she greets you as if you are the only person who matters.
"Once she's met you, she never forgets you. She has an incredible memory of people and names."
Hundreds of people visited the grounds of Bishopthorpe Palace to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee today, with 1,000 expected to attend a performance this evening.
A special Jubilee Union flag was flying on the roof of the Palace and a patriotic Union flag flowerbed was unveiled.
The Archbishop, wearing a purple cassock and wooden crucifix and carrying a crozier, met and chatted with stall-holders and visitors at the gala.
Dozens of people crowded round Dr Sentamu and asked for photographs as he toured the stalls and traditional fete features, including a coconut shy and stocks.
He posed for photographs with six-year-old Josie Drury, from Hull, who was at the event with her school teddy bear, Barnaby, and said she had would write about her meeting with Dr Sentamu in Barnaby's diary.
And the Archbishop roared like a tiger at face-painted five-year-old Bryn Richardson, from York, when he reluctantly posed for a picture with Dr Sentamu.
After sampling some spicy Malaysian chicken and potato curry from chef Jennie Cook's stall, and surveying the cakes beneath a Keep Calm And Eat Cupcakes banner, the Archbishop ended his tour with an ice cream.