Downing Street was forced into a grovelling apology in the 1990s after a birthday telegram from Prime Minister John Major to the Queen Mother was sent in an "improper manner", according to newly-released official papers.
A Royal Complaint Over Protocol
Files released to the National Archives in Kew, west London, detail the diplomatic incident. The Queen Mother's private secretary, Captain Sir Alastair Aird, telephoned Number 10 to demand an explanation for why the 1994 birthday greeting had been incorrectly addressed.
The precise nature of the addressing error is not made clear in the documents, but it was sufficient to cause significant consternation within the royal household.
Downing Street's Defence and Apology
Following an internal investigation, Roderic Lyne of the Prime Minister's private office wrote back to Buckingham Palace. In his response, he apologised profusely for the error but sought to deflect blame away from Downing Street staff.
"The message itself, as it left our hands, was entirely correct," Lyne insisted. "However, in transmitting it, it appears that British Telecom most unfortunately addressed the telegram in the improper manner which you described."
He added, "I am so sorry that this happened. Our own staff are sticklers for the correct form, as you would imagine." Lyne even suggested that the solution might be to abandon telegrams altogether, noting they were "going out of fashion."
The Queen Mother's Gracious Response
Despite the protocol faux pas, the Queen Mother responded with characteristic grace. She sent her own telegram to Mr Major and his wife, Norma, to thank them for their wishes.
"I was very touched by your kind message of good wishes on my birthday and send you both my warm thanks," she wrote, demonstrating a deft handling of the minor diplomatic slip.
The incident, now a matter of public record, offers a fascinating glimpse into the meticulous world of royal protocol and the potential for technological mishaps to cause ripples in the relationship between Whitehall and the monarchy.
