THEProtocol comes first. And so Queen Elizabeth, despite her poor health, still wanted shake hands with the new premier just named, Liz Truss. After that the sovereign left the land on which she lived and reigned for 70 years.
Queen Elizabeth and the 15 premieres
But just in these long 70 years, Elizabeth II got to work with 14 other prime ministerswith whom he had more or less formal relationships, some with more enthusiasm, some with a little less.
The latest premier, Liz truss, met by Queen Elizabeth (Photo by Jane Barlow – WPA Pool / Getty Images)
Churchill, a second father
The first was Winston Churchill, 1951-1955, almost a father to a very young Elizabeth, recently queen, to whom the prime minister was close in many difficult moments. An affection and gratitude that the Queen underlines in a letter written to Churchill when she resigned to tell him that “no one will ever take the place of my first Prime Minister“.
With Boris Johnson it was not love, on the contrary. The premier had to apologize to the Queen at least twice
Eden, Macmillan and Douglas: always close to the Queen
With Anthony Eden, 1955-1957, the difficult moments to face were different. Including the scandal over Princess Margaret’s relationship with an older and married man. But Eden was at her side and supported her in the difficult decision to forbid her sister to marry the man she loved.
The relationship with Harold Macmillan, 1957-1963, it was difficult at first, but then things smoothed out and the two became almost confidants. Esteemed by her Majesty, Elizabeth continued to ask him for advice even after the end of his assignment.
With Sir Alec Douglas1963-1964, was not easy, but not for reasons of character or disagreement, but because, being a close friend of the Queen Mother, their relationship was said to be polluted by favoritism and was a reason for attack by the opposition.
Queen Elizabeth doesn’t care that it’s Labor
Harold Wilson Macmillan1964-1970 and 1974-1976 he was leader of the Labor Party but the two got along just the same. Often a guest at Balmoral Castle by the queen, according to Sunday Post Wilson’s weekly meetings with His Majesty often lasted more than two hours.
Edward Heath1970-1974, was Prime Minister in one of the UK’s most difficult times, between strikes by miners and the reduction of the working week to three days imposed on the country to reduce energy consumption. The divergent opinions yielded the relations between the two rather cold.
James Callaghan, 1976-1979, was another Labor leader who got along well with the Queen. Callaghan was a member of the Royal Navy, which Her Majesty liked very much. He was one of the few in whom the sovereign showed confidence and a discreet indifference to the rules of the protocol.
Too different to get along
With Margaret Thatcher, 1979-1990, they couldn’t stand each other and not just for political reasons. They were temperamentally very different. One, the queen, ironic and pragmatic. The other, the Prime Minister, totally humorless and verbose. Plus she badly endured having to visit Queen Elizabeth in her palace in Bamoral.
John Major, the “kid” premier
The ninth premier, John Major1990-1997, was the first “young” premier with which the queen had to deal. She was only 47 years old and the two hugged a lot. He was appointed guardian of Princes William and Harry after the death of his mother, Lady Diana. And it was the only politician invited to Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018.
Blair and Gordon Brown: strained relationships
With Tony Blair, 1997-2007, the two start very badly. It was the New Labor leader who practically forced the queen to dedicate a speech to Diana, tragically died in an accident. And while she didn’t like anyone telling her what to do, Blair actually saved the relationship between the monarchy and its subjects. However, relations remained tense.
Gordon Brown2007-2010, he was never loved by the Queen despite being Scottish. So much so that, along with Blair, neither of them was invited to Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011.
Great understanding with Cameron and Theresa May
With the leader of the Tories David Cameron, 2010-2016, they always got along well. The premier was always a welcome guest at Balmoral and, together with the Queen, they changed the law of royal succession, so that the first child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, even if she was a girl, could have kept third place in line of succession to the throne. Until then, the monarchy favored the male birthright.
The relationship with Theresa May2016-2019 was so good when the premier left 10 Downing Street, the newspapers reported that members of the royal family had greatly appreciated the work done by Theresa May.
BoJo’s blunders and mistakes
In the end, Boris Johnson, 2019-2022. Too informal for the Queen, so much so that the premier had to apologize twice to her.
The first, when the Supreme Court ruled that his decision to extend Parliament was illegal. The second for the scandal so then he had to resign, of having organized a party with his family in the middle of the pandemic.
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