Read Online Game of Crowns: Elizabeth, Camilla, Kate, and the Throne by Christopher Andersen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christopher Andersen
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everything for teatime. A butler wheeled in the silver cart heaped with scones, muffins, gingerbread, and tiny cakes as well as crustless, round-cut sandwiches—usually watercress, egg mayonnaise, ham with mustard, and cucumber.
The Queen insisted on brewing and pouring her own Darjeeling, then nibbled on one or two sandwiches as she crumbled pieces of the muffins in her hand and placed them on the carpet for her ever-present corgis. Not that she neglected her own sweet tooth; Her Majesty had a weakness for honey and sponge teacakes, as well as “jam pennies”—tiny raspberry jam sandwiches cut into circles the size of an English penny.
After she saw the children off to bed and then had her weekly meeting with the Prime Minister, the Queen was presented witha brief summary of the day’s activities in Parliament, written by one of the government’s Whips. Elizabeth, determined to keep abreast of all political developments in her country, read these six-hundred-word reports on the spot.
Before dinner at 8:00 p.m., the Queen enjoyed another Dubonnet and gin cocktail. Occasionally, she would opt for a gin martini, neat. In her liquor preferences, Elizabeth was following the example set by the Queen Mother, who reluctantly moved out of Buckingham Palace and into her own quarters at nearby Clarence House.
In the course of a day, the Queen Mother usually consumed a Dubonnet and gin, a martini, two or three glasses of wine, champagne (usually Veuve Clicquot), port, and even the occasional beer. When she traveled, her ladies-in-waiting hid bottles of gin in hatboxes so that the Queen Mother could take a nip before each public appearance. (Many years after her daughter became queen, at a luncheon thrown at the Windsor Guildhall to celebrate her hundredth birthday, the Archbishop of Canterbury made the mistake of accidentally picking up the Queen Mother’s wineglass. “Hey!” she snapped. “That’s mine!”)
Early in her reign, Elizabeth often dined in the evening with Philip, the Queen Mother, or other family members. But as time progressed, if she wasn’t hosting a state dinner or attending a glittering command performance, Her Majesty often settled on supper served on a tray in front the television set in her sitting room. The cuisine remained fit for a Queen, regardless of the setting. A typical dinner might consist of pheasant shot at Sandringham, or perhaps salmon or venison shipped in from Balmoral Castle. The Queen’s favorite desserts: chocolate biscuit cake, and especially the white peaches grown in her greenhouses at Windsor.
After dinner, she returned to the dreaded dispatch boxes, often working on them until well past midnight. Whenever she felt overwhelmed, she often called her closest confidante, her mother. It was a standing joke inside the Royal Family that these phone calls placed through the palace switchboard required operators to say the following words to the Queen Mother: “Good Evening, Your Majesty. Her Majesty is on the line for Your Majesty.”
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IF WINSTON CHURCHILL INITIALLY HARBORED doubts about Elizabeth’s ability to handle the job, they were dispelled virtually overnight. During their weekly meetings in the opulent Bow Room—Churchill always showed up in a top hat and frock coat—the young Queen not only charmed the crusty statesman, but she impressed him with her grasp of important issues and her eye for detail. Once, when she asked him what he thought about that day’s urgent dispatch from Britain’s ambassador in Iraq, Churchill realized he had overlooked it. Dashing back to his offices after the meeting, he finally read the cable—and was mortified to discover that its contents were in fact extremely important.
The young Queen and the aging Prime Minister went on to develop a deep and lasting bond, in large part due to their shared love of horses. While both the Queen and her prime ministers were sworn to secrecy about what was said during these weekly audiences—no
The Queen insisted on brewing and pouring her own Darjeeling, then nibbled on one or two sandwiches as she crumbled pieces of the muffins in her hand and placed them on the carpet for her ever-present corgis. Not that she neglected her own sweet tooth; Her Majesty had a weakness for honey and sponge teacakes, as well as “jam pennies”—tiny raspberry jam sandwiches cut into circles the size of an English penny.
After she saw the children off to bed and then had her weekly meeting with the Prime Minister, the Queen was presented witha brief summary of the day’s activities in Parliament, written by one of the government’s Whips. Elizabeth, determined to keep abreast of all political developments in her country, read these six-hundred-word reports on the spot.
Before dinner at 8:00 p.m., the Queen enjoyed another Dubonnet and gin cocktail. Occasionally, she would opt for a gin martini, neat. In her liquor preferences, Elizabeth was following the example set by the Queen Mother, who reluctantly moved out of Buckingham Palace and into her own quarters at nearby Clarence House.
In the course of a day, the Queen Mother usually consumed a Dubonnet and gin, a martini, two or three glasses of wine, champagne (usually Veuve Clicquot), port, and even the occasional beer. When she traveled, her ladies-in-waiting hid bottles of gin in hatboxes so that the Queen Mother could take a nip before each public appearance. (Many years after her daughter became queen, at a luncheon thrown at the Windsor Guildhall to celebrate her hundredth birthday, the Archbishop of Canterbury made the mistake of accidentally picking up the Queen Mother’s wineglass. “Hey!” she snapped. “That’s mine!”)
Early in her reign, Elizabeth often dined in the evening with Philip, the Queen Mother, or other family members. But as time progressed, if she wasn’t hosting a state dinner or attending a glittering command performance, Her Majesty often settled on supper served on a tray in front the television set in her sitting room. The cuisine remained fit for a Queen, regardless of the setting. A typical dinner might consist of pheasant shot at Sandringham, or perhaps salmon or venison shipped in from Balmoral Castle. The Queen’s favorite desserts: chocolate biscuit cake, and especially the white peaches grown in her greenhouses at Windsor.
After dinner, she returned to the dreaded dispatch boxes, often working on them until well past midnight. Whenever she felt overwhelmed, she often called her closest confidante, her mother. It was a standing joke inside the Royal Family that these phone calls placed through the palace switchboard required operators to say the following words to the Queen Mother: “Good Evening, Your Majesty. Her Majesty is on the line for Your Majesty.”
----
IF WINSTON CHURCHILL INITIALLY HARBORED doubts about Elizabeth’s ability to handle the job, they were dispelled virtually overnight. During their weekly meetings in the opulent Bow Room—Churchill always showed up in a top hat and frock coat—the young Queen not only charmed the crusty statesman, but she impressed him with her grasp of important issues and her eye for detail. Once, when she asked him what he thought about that day’s urgent dispatch from Britain’s ambassador in Iraq, Churchill realized he had overlooked it. Dashing back to his offices after the meeting, he finally read the cable—and was mortified to discover that its contents were in fact extremely important.
The young Queen and the aging Prime Minister went on to develop a deep and lasting bond, in large part due to their shared love of horses. While both the Queen and her prime ministers were sworn to secrecy about what was said during these weekly audiences—no
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