I fear Queen is doomed to hear Formby forever, says Brandreth

A ROYAL biographer has said he regrets revealing the Queen’s love of George Formby to the world, saying she is now doomed to hear ukulele music wherever she goes.

Gyles Brandreth, a friend of the Royal family who has written extensively on the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, said Formby’s songs had become the “go-to repertoire” for anyone hoping to entertain the Queen.

Writing after the Royal Albert Hall concert to celebrate the Queen’s 92nd birthday, where the George Formby Fan Club led by Frank Skinner, Harry Hill and Ed Balls played When I’m Cleaning Windows, he said he must accept responsibility for the choice.

“I’m sure the Queen does enjoy George Formby, but I am not sure he’s her ‘one and only’,” Brandreth said. “That will make no difference. Once it’s in print there’s no escape.

“From now on in, whenever the Queen and music are mentioned together, George Formby will be part of the story. She will have ukulele music wherever she goes.”

The birthday concert was attended by the Queen, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, the Duke of York, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal and Sir Timothy Laurence, along with other members of the extended Royal family.

Performers at the concert, intended to celebrate the Commonwealth, included Sir Tom Jones, Kylie Minogue, Shawn Mendes, Sting and Shaggy, with many viewers wondering whether they were really to the Queen’s taste.

Some viewers also proclaimed themselves confused over the lack of the national anthem, with concert-goers instead giving the Queen a prolonged standing ovation as she took her seat at the Royal Albert Hall.

Where they expected to hear God Save the Queen, they were treated to a country song from Kylie Minogue, accompanied by dancing cowboys.

Organisers said it was not an oversight, but a deliberate decision.

Royal sources said the evening was recognised as an “informal occasion”, while those working on the show for the BBC insisted they had been assured the anthem was not a “requirement”.

Michael Lake, director of the Royal Commonwealth Society which worked to put the event together, said the concert was “meant to have the feel of a family birthday party”, with a view being taken that the anthem “did not fit with that sensitivity”.