A new book has revealed a previously unknown aspect of Queen Elizabeth II’s views, claiming the late monarch was opposed to Brexit and preferred Britain to stay in the European Union.
According to veteran royal correspondent Valentine Low, the Queen allegedly told a senior minister three months before the 2016 referendum, “We shouldn’t leave the EU,” adding later, “It’s better to stick with the devil you know.”
The revelations appear in Low’s upcoming book, Power and the Palace: The Inside Story of the Monarchy and 10 Downing Street, offering one of the rare glimpses into the Queen’s private political leanings.
A Nuanced View of the EU
Sources cited in The Times suggest that while the Queen could be frustrated by EU bureaucracy, she valued the Union as part of the postwar settlement.
One Buckingham Palace insider explained that she saw the EU as symbolising decades of cooperation after two world wars.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron recalled that the Queen was careful not to express overt political views, yet her support for European cooperation was always clear.
“You always sensed that, like most of her subjects, she thought that European co-operation was necessary and important, but the institutions of the EU sometimes can be infuriating,” he said.
Contradicting Past Headlines
The claims fly in the face of a 2016 headline by The Sun which declared, “Queen Backs Brexit.”
Buckingham Palace insisted the story was misleading and politically inaccurate, with the press watchdog ruling that the headline misrepresented the Queen’s stance.
The Palace has declined to comment on the new book, maintaining its policy of not engaging with biographies or personal accounts.
Candid in Private, Mysterious in Public
Former Chancellor George Osborne commented that, despite the Queen’s public neutrality, she could be surprisingly candid in private.
“I was constantly astonished by how forthright she was in telling you what she thought of individuals, including family members, and about matters happening in the country,” he said.
Yet, another well-placed royal source told the Mail that nobody, not even her closest advisors, truly knew her opinions on many political matters, including Brexit.
They argued that private remarks are often interpreted through the lens of the listener’s own political beliefs.
Past Controversies Over EU and Brexit
The Queen had previously been drawn into Brexit debates in 2016 and again in 2019.
In 2016, The Sun reported alleged critical comments she made about the EU in private meetings with Nick Clegg and MPs at Buckingham Palace.
The Palace maintained her political neutrality.
In 2019, the Queen was indirectly involved when Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised her to prorogue Parliament to facilitate Brexit plans.
The Supreme Court later ruled that prorogation unlawful, highlighting the sensitive position of the monarch in political matters.
Legacy of Private Opinions
The new claims provide a glimpse of how Queen Elizabeth II may have privately viewed some of the biggest political events of her reign.
While publicly neutral, these insights suggest she had her own quietly formed opinions about Britain’s relationship with Europe and the challenges of governance.
