Johnson’s office apologizes for party before funeral

Boris Johnson’s office apologized to the royal family on Friday for holding staff parties in Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral last year — the latest in a catalog of allegedly lockdown-breaching gatherings that are threatening to topple the British prime minister.

Farewell parties for Johnson’s departing spin doctor and another staffer, complete with late-night drinking and dancing, took place on April 16, 2021, the night before Queen Elizabeth II sat alone at her husband’s funeral because of social distancing rules in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Johnson spokesman Jamie Davies acknowledged that news of the gatherings had caused “significant public anger.”

“It’s deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and No. 10 has apologized to the palace,” he said, using a term for the prime minister’s 10 Downing St. office.