UK queen is a West Ham fan

London, Aug. 23 (ANI): Britain's Queen Elizabeth is a secret West Ham fan, the Sunday Mirror can reveal.

Until now she's always been tight-lipped about which team she supports. But she blurted out her secret love for the Hammers when she heard royal staff discussing the club's Carling Cup clash with East End rivals Millwall.

A Windsor Castle source said: "The Queen has never wanted people to know who she supports as she wants to be seen to be neutral. But she gave up her secret after overhearing one of her staff, a Millwall fan, talking to a colleague about the derby game with West Ham. They were quite shocked as she's not exactly your typical West Ham fan."

It's thought the Queen became a Hammer after meeting the club's most successful manager Ron Greenwood on several occasions. She made no secret of her admiration for straight-talking Greenwood, who she awarded the CBE to in 1981 when he became England manager.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "Which team the Queen supports is not something we would know." (ANI)