The Queen's real feelings about Brexit revealed in explosive new book
Queen Elizabeth II was a Remainer, a new book exposing her secret views on Brexit has claimed.
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In his new book 'Power and the Palace: the Inside Story of the Monarchy and 10 Downing Street', royal author Valentine Low lays bare the secretive relationship between the monarchy and government.
He spoke to Palace aides, politicians and civil servants who shared how the late Queen was allegedly against Britain leaving the European Union.
The author heard from one senior minister who claimed to have spoken to the Queen in the spring of 2016, three months before the Brexit referendum.
"We shouldn’t leave the EU," she allegedly said.
"It’s better to stick with the devil you know," she reportedly added, referring to the referendum.
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A palace insider appeared to back this up, saying the monarch thought the bureaucracy of the trading bloc was "ridiculous".
She viewed the EU fundamentally as part of the postwar settlement that signified an era of co-operation after the wars, the source claimed.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron was reportedly informed of her position and immediately had to decide whether to use it in the Remain campaign, but decided against it, according to the Times.
This claim appears to go against the Sun newspaper’s infamous front page published during the Brexit referendum, which read: "Queen Backs Brexit".
The article claimed the Queen told then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg the EU was heading in the wrong direction during a lunch at Windsor in 2011.
She made the comments with "venom and emotion" and said "I don’t understand Europe," the article alleged.
Mr Clegg later claimed the story was false and accused former Tory front bencher Michael Gove of leaking it.
Buckingham Palace complained to press watchdog IPSO at the time but never issued a strong outright denial.
That is reportedly because a clear public denial would have exposed her pro-remain views, according to The Times.
It is not the first time the Queen’s thoughts on politics, who was careful to shield these views from the public, have seemingly been leaked.
In 2019, it was reported that the Queen privately expressed her disappointment in the political class at the time and its ability to govern, as MPs threatened to involve her in the escalating Brexit deadlock.
Understood to have been made at a private event after David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister, an 'impeccable' source said the Queen was "dismayed" by Westminster.
"I think she's really dismayed," the source said.
"I've heard her talking about her disappointment in the current political class and its inability to govern correctly."
The revelation came as MPs floated the idea of involving the Queen to break the Brexit deadlock.
Sir Anthony Seldon, political historian and author, told LBC the Monarch would inevitably try to avoid getting involved in politics - especially Brexit - so "not to alienate some of the nation".
Speaking to Ian Payne, Sir Anthony said: "The Queen has survived throughout her reign - the longest Monarch in British history - by not getting drawn into political matters and at this time the country is more politicised than since the Second World War, the last thing the Monarch will want to do is to try and help the politicians sort out the mess."