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Grandma says viral iceberg photo gone wrong was her chance to be 'queen'

2:12
Grandmother swept out to sea on a glacier
@Xiushook via Storyful
Kelly McCarthy
ByKelly McCarthy
March 01, 2019, 1:14 PM

An adventurous grandmother went viral after her simple, seated queen-like pose on an iceberg throne drifted out to sea.

"It was shaped like an easy place to sit. You can tell by looking at the shape of it, and I thought well it looks like fun," Judith Streng told ABC News.

While she and her son Rod Streng were traveling in Iceland, they stopped at Diamond Beach in Jökulsárlón for the photo op on what looked like an iceberg throne.

Judith Streng posed seated on an iceberg while her son Rod Streng took a picture before a wave pulled her out and prompted a rescue.
@Xiushook via Storyful

"When I got on it, it started to totter and a wave was coming in," Streng explained. "A very large wave came in and kind of made the throne kind of rock, and I could tell that I was slipping off."

Her granddaughter Catherine Streng posted the photo series on Twitter Monday after she received the hilarious texts from her dad as the incident unfolded.

Rod Streng's text exchange with his daughter about what happened on their Icelandic adventure.
Xiushook via Storyful

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Naturally, the pictures made a huge splash on social media.

Rod Streng's text exchange with his daughter about what happened on their Icelandic adventure.
Xiushook via Storyful

"Lost her kingdom when she drifted out to see!" one of the texts said, after referring to her as the "iceberg queen."

She was quickly rescued thanks to Randy Lacount, a boat captain from Florida, who happened to be nearby when the ice dislodged.

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(MORE: Iceland's Northern Lights: Beautiful sight, risky drives)

"I thought it was safe," the adventurous grandma said. "One girl had been on it and then two girls at the same time, and it was very secure with them. But I don't weigh very much. So it was a little easier to float off with me, I guess."

Judith Streng posed seated on an iceberg while her son Rod Streng took a picture before a wave pulled her out and prompted a rescue.
@Xiushook via Storyful

Despite the oceanic ordeal, Streng was unfazed and still joyful about the experience.

"I thought it [would] be quite fun. You know I always wanted to be queen. I mean, come on, that was my chance," she said.

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