Late Queen too nervous to watch Olympic hockey penalty shootout while at Balmoral Castle

The late Queen was too nervous to watch the nerve-wracking penalty shootout when Team GB’s women’s hockey squad won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Duchess of Edinburgh has revealed.

Sophie shared her memories of when Elizabeth II and Prince Philip tuned in at Balmoral Castle to watch the dramatic final.

In a clip from a special BBC Radio 5 Live programme celebrating a decade since the triumph, the duchess described how the Queen had to leave the room because of the tension.

“She couldn’t cope with pressure. She had to take herself away again,” the duchess said.

Sophie’s father-in-law, the late Duke of Edinburgh, sat down to watch the match, and laughed as the duchess leapt up and down screaming during the nail-biting game.

“I think he was watching my reaction more than he was watching the television because I was literally living and breathing every moment,” she said.

The duchess added: “I was leaping up and screaming and everything, and the drawing room is right next door, and I suddenly was sort of conscious of this presence, and Her Majesty had come through, and she was standing in the doorway watching, and it was getting so pressured.

“She was watching the penalties. She couldn’t cope with pressure. She had to take herself away again.

“Couldn’t cope with it. And I was standing there, leaping up and down, or sitting leaping up and down. My father-in-law was laughing at me.”

Great Britain's Hollie Webb celebrates with team-mates after scoring the winning goal in the penalty shootout during the gold medal match against Netherlands. — Great Britain’s Hollie Webb celebrates with team-mates after scoring the winning goal in the penalty shootout during the gold medal match against Netherlands. PA Media

The duchess described how she had initially watched only the start of the match at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire because she had to join the royal family for dinner, with a member of staff, who was also a hockey fan, whispering the score to her throughout.

But the Queen noticed her anticipation at the end of the meal and instructed her to return to watching it on TV.

“We were sitting at the end of dinner, and I was twitching, and eventually Her Majesty sat there and said ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, just go’,” she said.

“So I ran through to the library.”

The duchess, who is patron of England and GB Hockey, was recorded speaking with presenter Eleanor Oldroyd and Olympic gold medallists Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh, who were both part of the winning squad.

The programme also examines the legacy of the historic win and the importance of supporting grassroots sport.

The defeat of defending champions the Netherlands was Team GB’s first ever women’s Olympic hockey gold.