How the Queen 'indulged in flirtatious banter and broke protocol with Prime Minister'
QUEEN ELIZABETH II indulged in flirtatious banter and even broke protocol with one of her Prime Ministers, unearthed reports shockingly claim.
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At the end of July, Boris Johnson visited the Queen at Buckingham Palace, after securing a landslide victory over his Tory leadership rival, Jeremy Hunt. The monarch invited him to form a government, making him her 14th Prime Minister. The Queen, now 93, is the longest-reigning British monarch and, since ascending the throne aged 25 on February 6, 1952, has seen many leaders come and go.
Her Majesty is not allowed to share her political views and never speaks about her relationships with political leaders – but there have been several interesting reports over the years.
The Royal Family's official website says the monarch always has a "special relationship" with whoever is leading her Government.
However, according to a 2014 Daily Express report, some relationships have been stronger than others.
Royal correspondent Simon Edge claimed Winston Churchill, the first Prime Minister the Queen worked with after her father died, was without a doubt the one she liked the most.
He said: "At first the 25-year-old monarch was intimidated by the 77-year-old war hero.
"But he took it upon himself to instruct her in the way of politics and her constitutional role and by the time he left office three years later they had formed a strong bond, discussing horse-racing as well as affairs of state."
However, it was with former Labour Prime Minister Jim Callaghan that, according to Mr Edge, the Queen indulged in some "flirtatious banter".
He quoted Mr Callaghan as saying about his weekly audiences with Her Majesty: "Conversation flowed freely and could roam anywhere over a wide range of social as well as political and international topics."
Her Majesty reportedly threw away protocol and placed a flower in Mr Callanghan's buttonhole during a stroll at Buckingham Palace.
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Despite the gesture, the Labour Prime Minister realised that "what one gets from the monarch is friendliness but not friendship".
Unlike with Sir Winston and Mr Callaghan, though, Her Majesty's relationship with Tony Blair was not an easy one and probably "the worst" she has ever had.
The Labour Prime Minister thought the UK's relationship with the monarchy was antiquated, and was determined to modernise it.
In his book "A Journey," he mocked the annual tradition of visiting the Queen at the royal home in Balmoral, recalling "the vivid combination of the intriguing, the surreal, and the utterly freaky. The whole culture of it was totally alien, of course, not that the royals weren't very welcoming".
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His wife Cherie did not curtsey to the Queen on her first visit to Balmoral in 1997, and wore a trouser suit – which allegedly left the Queen Mother "mortified".
Moreover, reports claim Her Majesty never really forgave him for decommissioning her beloved Royal Yacht Britannia after 22 years in service to save money.
The ship was full of royal memories such as Prince Philip’s collection of driftwood, family memorabilia and an original set of G Plan furniture.
At the decommissioning ceremony in Portsmouth in 1997, the Queen was photographed shedding tears in public for the first and only time.