The evangelist’s granddaughter on a unique royal relationship
He was the pastor to the presidents, giving private counsel and spiritual guidance to every US leader from Harry S Truman to Barack Obama. But with the death of Billy Graham yesterday, aged 99, focus has fallen on the American evangelical preacher’s uniquely British connection – his links to the Queen.
Immortalised in the latest series of The Crown, Graham preached at the Queen’s private chapel and was even rumoured to have eased her doubts about faith during a private meeting.
In an interview days before he died, Jerushah Armfield, his granddaughter, spoke about the meeting and its portrayal in the Netflix series.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Ms Armfield told how Graham approached the conversations in the way he would talk to his own driver.
She described how the
Queen defied criticism of the preacher’s tub-thumping speaking style to arrange a meeting not long after her coronation. Ms Armfield revealed that they developed a warm relationship, with Graham bowled over by the Queen’s “class” and “dignity”, which reminded him of his wife, Ruth.
But she said he never revealed if the Queen did share any spiritual doubts – despite The Crown’s presentation – saying he always respected the privacy of their exchanges.
“Around me he always spoke of her very highly,” she said. “I know he referred to her as very classy and someone who seemed to have taken a lot of pressure and a lot of spotlight and handled it with a lot of dignity”.
“The way she came into the crown, so much earlier than she anticipated, it was a huge life change to take it so young.”
The pair are thought to have met in 1955 when the Queen invited Graham to visit after one of his British rallies.
It followed his 12-week campaign in London a year earlier that defied expectations and scepticism to draw more than two million people.
Ms Armfield spoke highly of the Queen’s decision to meet, saying her grandfather “loved” the strength of character that she showed so early in her reign.
“That was unique. Especially back in the 1950s, this would have been really early in his career, but she saw something in him,” she said.
Ms Armfield believed the Queen saw “an authenticity that we all see in him that we don’t tend to see a whole lot [elsewhere]”.
She added: “I think that he would treat the Queen sitting across from him on the couch the same way that he would treat the chauffeur that brought him to the palace. That’s the way he’s always been.” In a sign of the pair’s closeness, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said yesterday that the Queen would be sending her personal condolences to the family.
Billy Graham, who suffered from cancer, pneumonia and other illnesses, died at his home in North Carolina. He became famous for promoting a new conservative form of evangelism, largely through what he termed his “global crusades” and pioneering use of prime-time television. By his final “crusade” in 2005, Graham had preached in person to more than 210 million people worldwide, a feat unmatched by any evangelist. News of his death brought tributes from political leaders and discussions about the impact he had on US presidents.
Donald Trump called him “one of the towering figures of the last 100 years” and said he was joining “millions around the world” in mourning Graham’s death.
“Billy’s acceptance of Jesus Christ around his 17th birthday not only changed his life, it changed our country and the world,” he said.
“He was an American hero whose life and leadership truly earned him the title ‘God’s Ambassador’.”
On Twitter, Mr Obama said Graham was a “humble servant” who “gave hope and guidance to generations”.
Despite his influence on America’s politics, Graham was known for his social conservatism and made a point of never being alone with a woman.
The “Billy Graham rule” was echoed by Mike Pence, the US vice-president, who paid tribute to a “matchless voice” that “changed the lives of millions”.
According to Ms Armfield, Graham behaved in the same way with world leaders as he did with his family. “The one thing about my grandfather that stands out above anything else is his genuine humility,” she said.
Ms Armfield said he seemed “completely naive to the idea that people know who he is and admire him even if they haven’t spent time with him. I think the Lord gave him some blinders to the notoriety and fame that he has around the world.”
Ms Armfield said she last saw him a few weeks ago. She recalled he would be “very tender” and “very genuine”, squeezing her hand as they talked.
“Because he’s our grandfather and he’s so familiar to us it’s easy to forget this was a unique, historical life. It’s so endearing, a nice reminder of what an important part of history he was.”
As for his relationship with the Queen, Graham did once open up.
Writing in his biography, he said: “She is unquestionably one of the best-informed people on world affairs I have ever met.
“I have always found her highly intelligent and knowledgeable about a wide variety of issues, not just politics.”
As for their discussions behind closed doors, Billy Graham never discussed with anyone exactly what the Queen had said.
According to Ms Armfield, he had too much “respect for privacy” to reveal that.
‘She is unquestionably one of the best-informed people on world affairs I have ever met’ – Billy Graham
Billy Graham, who died yesterday aged 99, seemed almost a force of nature, though he appealed wholly to the supernatural. Millions heard his rhetorically powerful preaching, and in Britain the impact was most notable in the Fifties. At White City and Wembley, 185,000 saw the last two rallies of his 12-week tour. Here was a man granted an audience with the Queen and confident in advising presidents. He was not an Elmer Gantry; no scandal, financial or sexual, was ever attached to him. Who can judge the influence of this professional PR man for the Gospel? People forget. They forget that less than a century before Billy Graham preached in London, Dwight Moody had rallied 2.5 million there during a four-month season. The true legacy of revivalism lies locked in the hearts of individual men and women.