The night the Queen snuck out
What really happened when she joined crowds on V-E Day
It was the only time in the Queen’s long life when she slipped, incognito, among her subjects. On the night of May 8, 1945 — VE-Day — Princess Elizabeth, then 19, and her sister Margaret were given permission by their father King George VI, to leave Buckingham Palace and join the crowds of ordinary people on the streets of London. A film based on the events of that night — A Royal Night Out — starring Emily Watson and Rupert Everett, is set to be released next month. But it has only a passing acquaintance with the truth. So, what really happened when “Lilibet” and Margaret joined the throngs in the capital? A new documentary speaks to people who were with the princesses that night. Together with recollections from the Queen herself, who described the events in an interview with the BBC in 1985, it patches together an unprecedented account of what happened — hour by hour, street by street. The Daily Telegraph’s Harry Mount reports:
8 p.m. As the crowds gather and cheer outside the palace, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret ask the King and Queen if they can join the party. After some cajoling, their parents agree, but not before assembling a 16-strong group of trusted members of the royal household, including Margaret Rhodes, the Queen’s cousin, and former lady-inwaiting Jean Woodroffe.
9 p.m. The royal party slips out of the palace, Princess Elizabeth in the uniform of the Auxiliary Territorial Service, with which she had served as a mechanic, and Princess Margaret in glamorous civvies. Margaret Rhodes: “We crossed the forecourt at Buckingham Palace and got to the railings and there were these masses and masses of people. It was like a wonderful escape for the girls. I don’t think they’d ever been out among millions of people. It was just freedom — to be an ordinary person.” The Queen: “We were terrified of being recognized — so I pulled my uniform cap well down over my eyes. A Grenadier officer among our party of about 16 people said he refused to be seen in the company of another officer improperly dressed. So I had to put my cap on normally.”
10 p.m. The royal party carry on down the Mall and onto Horse Guards Parade: The Queen: “I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief. I also remember when someone exchanged hats with a Dutch sailor; the poor man coming along with us in order to get his hat back.”
10:30 p.m. Margaret Rhodes: “Trafalgar Square was jammed from end to end. It was a scene of joyful whoopee — full of people kissing policemen and other people. It was complete mayhem but rather nice mayhem.”
11:30 p.m. Margaret Rhodes: “For some reason, we decided to go in the front door of the Ritz and do the conga. The Ritz has always been so stuffy and formal — we rather electrified the stuffy individuals inside. I don’t think people realized who was among the party — I think they thought it was just a group of drunk young people.”
Midnight The King and Queen appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the second time. The Queen: “We were successful in seeing my parents on the balcony, having cheated slightly by sending a message into the house, to say we were waiting outside.” The morning after the night before Jean Woodroffe: “When we got back into the palace, the King and the Queen were there. We weren’t exhausted after it all. We were thrilled to have been part of it.” The Queen: “I think it was one of the most memorable nights of my life.”