Queen's Reported Opposition to Brexit Revealed in New Book
Contradicts Previous Claims of Political Neutrality
Buckingham Palace Yet to Respond to Latest Allegations
A claim has emerged that the late Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom was opposed to Brexit, the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.
According to the British daily The Telegraph on August 29 (local time), royal biographer Valentine Low revealed this in his new book, "Power and the Palace," which is based on interviews with about 100 people, including politicians, civil servants, and royal aides.
According to the book, in the spring of 2016, three months before the Brexit referendum, the Queen told a minister, "We must not leave the EU," and added, "It is better to stick with the devil you know." The Queen's remarks regarding Brexit were conveyed to then-Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron reportedly considered using them for the Remain campaign but ultimately decided not to.
The Queen is expected to maintain political neutrality. Former Prime Minister Cameron recalled, "The Queen was extremely cautious not to reveal any political views, but I felt that, like most people, she thought European cooperation was important and necessary." He added, "However, she sometimes found the EU's institutions to be frustrating."
This claim contradicts previous reports about Queen Elizabeth's stance on Brexit.
On June 9, 2016, two weeks before the Brexit referendum, the British tabloid The Sun published an article titled "Queen Backs Brexit." At the time, The Sun reported that the Queen had said, "The EU is going in the wrong direction."
In response to such reports, Buckingham Palace emphasized that "the Queen remains politically neutral" and filed a complaint with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), the media's self-regulatory body. IPSO concluded that the article's headline was misleading, and former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg also denied the accuracy of the report.
Currently, Buckingham Palace has not issued an official statement regarding the contents of Low's new book.
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