Whitehall staff squabbled over tribute to our ‘priceless’ Queen
WHITEHALL mandarins feared praising the Queen as “priceless” in case it gave anti-royalists the chance to attack her for not paying tax.
They spent days and swapped tetchy memos as they agonised over the correct word to describe Her Majesty’s vast contribution to Britain and her subjects.
Archived files have revealed that in January 1992, the year before the Queen began paying income tax, the Cabinet was compiling a tribute to mark her 40 years on the throne.
Andrew Turnbull, principal private secretary to Prime Minister John Major, wrote that the Cabinet had agreed a “warmest good wishes” message to be read in Parliament.
It said: “This was in recognition of the priceless contribution Her Majesty has made to the life of our nation throughout her reign.
“I know that the House and millions of our fellow citizens would wish to be associated with this message.” However, William Chapman, Mr Major’s private secretary, ringed the word “priceless” in felt tip and wrote: “Andrew, is this quite the mot juste? In view of the Queen’s tax exemption it could indeed be said that her contribution has been without price. Might someone pick this up?”
Turnbull responds by writing on the note: “It was the PM’s choice but I am open to suggestion, based on your long and expensive education in the English language.”
Chapman hits back, saying: “Andrew, cheap at the price I would have said! How about unique, unparalleled, incomparable or a new phrase altogether.”
A day later, Cabinet Secretary Sir Robin Butler gives the final choice of words, with priceless crossed out.
They pay tribute to the “contribution Her Majesty has made to the life of our nation throughout her reign”.
The Queen began paying tax in April 1993, after public concern about the cost of the monarchy and the controversies that dogged her “annus horribilis” of 1992.
Meanwhile, John Major almost snubbed the launch of Britain’s 50th anniversary of VE Day events after a string of embarrassing blunders in the D-Day commemorations.
He agreed to attend the opening personally only after military chiefs Lord Bramall and Lord Slim put pressure on him to be there.
They said the prime minister’s absence from the January 1995 milestone “fills us with some dismay” and would look “distinctly odd”.
Declassified files reveal how No 10 advisers were wary because of criticism over preparations for the 50th anniversary of D-Day the previous year.
Second World War veterans ridiculed the light-hearted tone of events including “spam fritter” cooking competitions and sand castle building events.
Even Vera Lynn, the forces’ sweetheart, threatened to pull out of a Hyde Park concert if the old soldiers’ organisations were opposed to it.
Although spam and sandcastles were dropped, a memo from Alex Allan, principal private secretary at Downing Street, highlighted further glitches from the actual day.
They included Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien being “pretty fed up” after being left alone in a garden party tent while Mr Major and Princess Margaret were elsewhere.