QUEEN Elizabeth II was a Remainer and did not back Brexit but did think Brussels bureaucracy was “ridiculous”, a sensational new book claims.
The late Queen, who as monarch must be politically neutral and could not vote, apparently revealed her feelings shortly before the 2016 referendum.
Queen Elizabeth II was a Remainer and did not back Brexit, a book claimed[/caption]
The late Monarch apparently revealed her feelings shortly before the 2016 referendum[/caption]
The book claimed the Queen was prepared to meet Boris Johnson despite him having Covid symptoms[/caption]
A senior minister who says they spoke to Her Maj in the early spring of 2016, three months before the referendum, claims she said: “We shouldn’t leave the EU.”
The late Queen apparently discussed the referendum and added: “It’s better to stick with the devil you know.”
The bombshell claims are made by Valentine Low in his book ‘Power and the Palace’ which is being serialised in The Times.
Yet according to the author the Queen was no fan of the notorious EU bureaucracy saying “this is ridiculous”.
PM David Cameron was apparently aware of the Queen’s thoughts but chose not to use it in the doomed Remain campaign.
Cameron said: “She was so careful never to express a political view, but you always sensed that, like most of her subjects, she thought that European co-operation was necessary and important, but the institutions of the EU sometimes can be infuriating.”
Leave won the referendum defeating Remain by 52 per cent to 42 per cent.
Buckingham Palace mandarins also removed the Tory Brexit phrase ‘take back control’ from a government-written speech on the Rwanda Bill, it is claimed.
The book also says the Queen was prepared to meet Boris Johnson despite the PM having Covid symptoms
There were fears Boris could kill the Queen if he passed on the virus and the regular audience was held on the phone instead.
But Lord Edward Young, then her private secretary, says the Queen thought the face-to-face meeting should go ahead “in a sort of Blitz spirit, ‘well I’ve got go some time’ attitude.”
The book also reveals the late Queen enjoyed washing up at Balmoral barbecues but staff would put the plates in the dishwasher afterwards.
And during Barack Obama’s State Visit in 2011 with the dinner running overtime told George Osborne: “Will you tell President Obama it’s time to go to bed.”
Plus, the Queen was a keen racing fan but was no fan of one famous racecourse telly favourite saying: “I can’t stand that man John McCririck.”
Power and the Palace; the Inside Story of the Monarchy and 10 Downing Street by Valentine Low will be published on September 11.
This comes as another author revealed what the late Queen really thought of Donald Trump during his UK visit.
Queen Elizabeth met with the US President twice during her reign, and he described meeting her as one of the highlights of his time in office.
However, it’s been well reported that the sentiment wasn’t mutual.
His first presidential visit to the UK was in 2018, where a “firm condition” was that he would have tea with the Queen, who he heralded as an “incredible lady”.
Trump jetted over to attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace and a gathering at Windsor Castle where he inspected the Guard of Honour.
But Queen Elizabeth reportedly found him “rude” and his marriage “bizarre”.
Another reported blunder was that Trump had kept her waiting on the greeting dais by arriving late.
And in a viral clip of the two at Windsor Castle in 2018, Trump awkwardly went ahead of the Queen before stopping right in front of her – making himself centre stage.
He shocked the nation when he walked in front of her during the inspection of the Guard of Honour in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle.
However royal author Robert Hardman says that members of the Royal Household who were actually there deny this, saying that “the Queen was not remotely put out”.
Writing in the Mail, he claims staff told him that Trump didn’t do anything wrong and wasn’t late – the Queen was merely early.
He said “conversation flowed” between the two and the late monarch was struck by how energetic Trump was.
The late Queen’s £533million jewellery collection, which now belongs to King Charles
KING Charles certainly has a vast treasure trove to select from as he inherited around £533million in jewellery pieces, according to Guardian.
The publication identified more than 90 pieces that were part of the late Queen’s personal collection, including diamonds, emeralds, rubies, amethysts, aquamarines and strings of pearls.
The royal family’s wills are kept secret, so it can’t be known for sure exactly what King Charles inherited after the Queen’s death in September 2022.
In a deal struck up by the then prime minister John Major, private inheritances from one monarch to another are also immune from inheritance tax.
Of course, it’s hard to know the full value of each jewellery piece today as the royal and historical connection would likely increase them exponentially.
We saw this with the auctioning of jewellery belonging to the late Princess Margaret.
Although her pieces were worth much less than the Queen’s sparkling collection, they sold for an average of 18 times the auction house’s top-end value.
Using the theory that the Queen’s jewels could fetch at least 10 times their basic value, making up the £533million estimated worth.
The Queen was no fan of the notorious EU bureaucracy saying ‘this is ridiculous’, claimed the author[/caption]
