Dancing with the Queen

Waltzing with Queen Nefertiti at the Luxor.

Yesterday evening I was hanging around the entrance area of the Luxor hotel marveling at the oversized fountains and massive statues of Egyptian monarchs when this gorgeous couple, dressed, I thought, like Cleopatra and Mark Anthony on prom night, strolled over to say hello. Well, they weren’t Cleopatra and Mark Anthony at all. They were Queen Nefertiti and the Pharaoh Ramses. Of course. I should have known that. They are, it seems, the Luxor’s version of Mickey and Minny Mouse and their job is just to come out into the lobby every once in awhile and say hello to people and get their pictures taken.

“We’re not historically correct,” Ramses told me, “but then again, this is Vegas. Liberties are taken.”

I asked Nefertiti (whose real name was Elizabeth) what it was like to be the Queen of the Nile in Vegas. “It totally rocks,” she said. “When I was a kid I always watched this cartoon show, Isis, who was this Egyptian superhero before there was any Wonder Woman or anything like that and I thought she was so cool. And now I get to be an Egyptian Queen.”

Little groups of foreigners—Indian, Greek, Japanese—kept interrupting my conversation with the Queen to have their photo taken. “Half of them don’t speak English,” she whispered, “but they’re all so happy to pose with us. The Japanese kids in particular get very excited.”

She told me that they have to be very strict about the way the photos are taken. “They can’t touch us,” she said. Or her costume which costs $3,000. “They can stand next to us but no arms around the waist or anything like that. Afterall, I am a Queen.”

Which is when, on an impulse, I grabbed her hand and started waltzing her around the lobby. The Queen couldn’t stop laughing. “No one’s ever done this to me before!” she said. I’m sure not.

It was just for a minute or two. I knew if I pushed my luck the Luxor security would be on me in a heartbeat. But I have to tell you that it was great fun.