In a stunning revelation that breaks the royal tradition of political silence, a new biography has exposed Queen Elizabeth II's profound private opposition to Brexit and her deep concerns about its impact on the United Kingdom.
The Monarch's Hidden Dismay
According to extracts from Gyles Brandreth's forthcoming biography, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, the late Queen found the 2016 EU referendum outcome deeply troubling. Brandreth, drawing on his conversations with Prince Philip, reveals Her Majesty viewed the Brexit process as "awful" and was particularly alarmed by its potential to destabilize the Union she dedicated her life to preserving.
Constitutional Crisis and Royal Anxiety
The biography details how the Queen's concerns extended beyond mere political preference to fundamental constitutional worries. She reportedly feared Brexit would "fuel calls for Scottish independence" and undermine the very fabric of the United Kingdom. This private anguish stood in stark contrast to her public impartiality during the bitterly divisive referendum campaign.
A Breach of Royal Protocol
While maintaining official neutrality, the Queen's private views occasionally surfaced controversially. Before the referendum, she famously told then-Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg that she couldn't understand why people weren't more concerned about European issues—a remark widely interpreted as pro-European. Buckingham Palace subsequently denied any political intention behind her comments.
The Weight of Silent Disapproval
Brandreth's account suggests the monarch's private frustrations were known within royal circles. Her true feelings, now revealed, paint a picture of a deeply concerned constitutional figure watching what she perceived as a damaging political process unfold, yet bound by duty to remain publicly silent.
The revelations offer a extraordinary glimpse behind the curtain of royal impartiality, showing a monarch personally invested in European relationships and deeply worried about the constitutional consequences of leaving the EU.
