The Queen’s relationships with her 14 prime ministers
Her first premier was Sir Winston Churchill and her most recent is Boris Johnson.
The Queen’s 70 years as sovereign has seen 14 prime ministers, from Second World War statesman Sir Winston Churchill to present premier Boris Johnson.
Political leaders have consistently paid tribute to the monarch for her sage advice and impressive knowledge on home and world affairs during her private weekly audiences with her PMs.
Sir Winston, her first prime minister, is thought to be her favourite.
He greeted the young, grieving monarch back on British soil after her sudden return from Kenya on the death of her father, King George VI.
Sir Winston had nurtured her through the early years, giving her invaluable advice.
However, on one occasion, rather than discussing affairs of state at one of their audiences, the Queen and Mr Macmillan could be seen huddled over a transistor radio as US astronaut John Glenn was hurtling through space.
Sir Alec Douglas-Home reportedly met with royal approval.
Harold Wilson endeared himself to the Queen. “They got on like a house on fire,” one long-standing member of the Labour Party said.
He used to join members of the royal family for riverside picnics at Balmoral.
However, Sir Edward Heath is said to have struggled with small talk and their weekly audiences have been described as “frosty”.
He said about the Queen: “One of the great things about her is that she always seems able to see the funny side of life. All the conversations were very enjoyable.”
But things were very different with Margaret Thatcher, who reportedly found the traditional September weekend at Balmoral painful.
“But her dread of the weekend receded as the two women became somewhat more comfortable with one another.”
Baroness Thatcher also could not abide the charades that she was expected to play after dinner at Balmoral and the Queen later, at a gathering of six of her premiers, joked about “the party games which some of you have so nobly endured at Balmoral”.
When Baroness Thatcher died in April 2013, the Queen took the unusual step of attending her ceremonial funeral – a personal decision and an indication of the Queen’s respect for her first – and at the time her only – female prime minister.
Sir Tony Blair was described in some palace quarters as a “head of state-in-waiting”, and there were courtiers who were not happy by what they saw as his encouragement of a “people’s monarchy”.
A red-faced David Cameron was forced to make a grovelling apology to the Queen in 2014 after his “purr-gate” blunder.
Mr Cameron was caught on camera telling then New York mayor Michael Bloomberg that the monarch had “purred down the line” when he telephoned and told her the result of the Scottish independence referendum.
Ahead of the Platinum Jubilee, Mrs May told the House of Commons: “She has seen prime ministers come and go, I was number 13.”
She added: “She has greeted us all with charm and consideration and with an impressive knowledge and understanding of the issues of the day.”
“Her Majesty slammed on the brakes and said: ‘What’s he doing here?’.”
She added: “She couldn’t understand why he had come down so low. She knew the countryside, she knew its animals.”
Mrs May’s premiership ended in 2019 after she endured a torrid time dogged by the issue of Brexit. She was succeeded by Boris Johnson.
A correspondent for Euronews NBC said the outspoken politician claimed the monarch quipped “I don’t know why anyone would want the job”.
Mr Johnson, who disclosed the remarks during a tour in 10 Downing Street, was told off by staff who warned him not to repeat such things so loudly.
He later talked about their private audiences again, describing their meetings as a “very tough interview”.
A few months into his premiership, Mr Johnson apologised to the Queen after the Supreme Court ruled his advice to her – imparted by Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg at Balmoral – to prorogue Parliament for five weeks had been “unlawful”.
Sue Gray’s report into the partygate scandal later revealed that staff carried on drinking at Number 10 the night before Philip’s funeral until the early hours, with the last person not leaving until 4.20am.
On April 17, the Queen sat alone in mourning for her late husband amid strict Covid restrictions, with the congregation limited to just 30 people.
Mr Johnson revealed during a Parliamentary tribute to the Queen in her Jubilee year that his regular meetings with the monarch were always “immensely comforting, because she has seen the sweep of it”.
