Grim image of Margaret that may explain her sister’s no-shows...
FAST approaching her 96th birthday, the Queen remains bright-eyed and quick-witted. Visiting foreign dignitaries and the pet dorgis file in and out of the formal suites at Windsor Castle as she cracks jokes with aides and continues to perform her still considerable duties.
Whether it is signing papers from her daily red box, speaking to Boris Johnson by telephone or drinking tea with the Governor-General of Canada, it’s all done with humour and grace.
Why then, her sudden decision not to attend last week’s Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, an event that means a great deal to her?
The change of plan, said the Palace, was about the comfort of Her Majesty. Yet, as courtiers privately acknowledge, it was also about preserving the majesty of monarchy.
Appearances matter – and much more so for a head of state. The Queen has made it clear her presence at events of personal significance such as the Commonwealth and Cenotaph services must not come at any cost.
There is one image in particular which Palace aides, and no doubt the Queen herself, are anxious not to replicate.
A photograph of her late sister, Princess Margaret, in a wheelchair, six months before she died, has become a lasting cause of regret. ‘It’s a haunting image and not one the Queen remembers fondly,’ said a source.
It was in August 2001 that the family had gathered for a photocall for the Queen Mother’s 101st birthday. Although still sprightly, she used two walking sticks.
A murmur then went round: ‘Where’s Margaret?’ The Queen’s sister was inside, recuperating after a series of strokes. She had not been expected to appear.
But the Queen Mother’s page, William Tallon – ‘Backstairs Billy’ – took it upon himself to push Margaret in front of the waiting media in a wheelchair.
Margaret was known for glamorous good looks that had lasted well into middle age. The world had never seen her like this.
Wearing a jacket and oversized black sunglasses, the Princess had her left arm trussed up in a sling and a shawl over her legs.
A source who remembers the occasion said: ‘The optics were terrible. It was supposed to be about the Queen Mother but all anyone saw was a sadly declining Princess Margaret.’
At 70, Margaret looked worse than her mother, 30 years older. A terrible row ensued. Palace staff were furious with Tallon for wheeling her out in full view of the cameras, a gross invasion of her privacy, they felt.
It is said the Queen, too, still shudders at the memory. An abiding principle is she ‘must be seen to be believed’. A picture in any way reminiscent of Margaret’s fate is out of the question.
Why allow the Queen to have to awkwardly navigate the Abbey when there are opportunities to show her meeting and greeting state dignitaries at Windsor?
The Queen has recently conducted nine days of official meetings, including welcoming Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada.
Twice recently she has reiterated a pledge made on her 21st birthday: ‘My whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.’
Yet, as she acknowledges, some things must inevitably change.
For years, our unstinting monarch has been handing more work to the Prince of Wales.
The Queen – known as ‘Reader One’ in Government terms – still receives a daily red box of official papers to sign. Her Royal Assent is still required on Bills passing through Parliament. (Charles is Reader Two.) But there are compensations: increased visits from family.
‘Prince Charles will often stay over at Windsor now if he’s visiting and will spend time with his mother rather than going back to Highgrove,’ said a source. Prince William, too, is at Windsor more often.
She also enjoys the company of her dresser, Angela Kelly, a docker’s daughter from Liverpool known to amuse the Queen with her down-to-earth wit.
When not on duty, she watches television or is absorbed in jigsaws laid out by her long-time page Paul Whybrew.
On his final engagement, in 2017, Prince Philip summed up the predicament in typically pithy style. After someone said ‘I’m sorry to hear that you’re standing down’, the 95-year-old Duke shot back with: ‘Well, I can’t stand up for much longer.’
The Queen will carry out her God-given duties to the end. But we will see the Prince of Wales increasingly standing in – and standing up – on her behalf.
She has made it clear: the dignity of the monarch must be protected, come what may.
The Queen shudders at the memory of the photograph