Her carefully worded speech was given to the Scottish Parliament to mark 20 years since it was reconvened in Edinburgh. But experts said last night the speech was meant for a wider audience and the Queen, who was accompanied at the event by Prince Charles who holds the Scots title of the Duke of Rothesay, was reflecting national frustration over Brexit rows. Her speech also appeared to be a strong hint that she will be unhappy if the next prime minister – either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt – asks her to prorogue Parliament to allow Brexit to happen with MPs unable to intervene. Princess Diana’s tantrum at Charles before Queen arrived Queen’s message to politicians hits home She said: “It is perhaps worth reflecting that at the heart of the word ‘parliament’ lies its original meaning: a place to talk. I have no doubt that for most of these last 20 years this striking chamber has provided exactly that, a place to talk. “But of course it must also be a place to listen – a place to hear views that inevitably may differ quite considerably, one from another – and a place to honour those views. “In turn, this occasion today gives us all an opportunity to honour those who help turn talk into action, not just Members of the Scottish Parliament but all those behind the scenes – the many unseen, unsung individuals who are not afforded recognition by the nature of their role in Parliament, but who nonetheless join together to support parliamentary work in the service of others, and the success of the nation as a whole.” During the referendum it was claimed – although denied by Buckingham Palace – that the Queen had privately supported Brexit. But her public intervention yesterday appeared to be a reminder that politicians are elected to “turn talk into action”. Holyrood has been criticised for being turned into a platform for Scottish independence under the SNP while education and health standards north of the border have declined. But the Queen’s words resonated even more with the three years of deadlock in Westminster over Brexit. Her appeal to politicians to listen to one another seemed to be a comment on the way debate in Parliament has become increasingly toxic since the referendum. The Queen’s political interventions in her 67 years on the throne have been extremely rare. How William and Harry broke Queen Elizabeth II's heart How Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew could still remarry In 2014 she asked Scots “to think very carefully” before voting for independence in what was seen as support for the Union. Then prime minister David Cameron later claimed that she “purred down the line” when he called to inform her of the result to stay in the UK. The Queen was also said to have been furious about Margaret Thatcher’s handling of apartheid South Africa, seeing it as a threat to the Commonwealth. One of her earliest interventions was to visit Ghana in 1961 against the government’s wishes. There she danced with then president Kwame Nk
Her carefully worded speech was given to the Scottish Parliament to mark 20 years since it was reconvened in Edinburgh. But experts said last night the speech was meant for a wider audience and the Queen, who was accompanied at the event by Prince Charles who holds the Scots title of the Duke of Rothesay, was reflecting national frustration over Brexit rows. Her speech also appeared to be a strong hint that she will be unhappy if the next prime minister – either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt – asks her to prorogue Parliament to allow Brexit to happen with MPs unable to intervene. Princess Diana’s tantrum at Charles before Queen arrived Queen’s message to politicians hits home She said: “It is perhaps worth reflecting that at the heart of the word ‘parliament’ lies its original meaning: a place to talk. I have no doubt that for most of these last 20 years this striking chamber has provided exactly that, a place to talk. “But of course it must also be a place to listen – a place to hear views that inevitably may differ quite considerably, one from another – and a place to honour those views. “In turn, this occasion today gives us all an opportunity to honour those who help turn talk into action, not just Members of the Scottish Parliament but all those behind the scenes – the many unseen, unsung individuals who are not afforded recognition by the nature of their role in Parliament, but who nonetheless join together to support parliamentary work in the service of others, and the success of the nation as a whole.” During the referendum it was claimed – although denied by Buckingham Palace – that the Queen had privately supported Brexit. But her public intervention yesterday appeared to be a reminder that politicians are elected to “turn talk into action”. Holyrood has been criticised for being turned into a platform for Scottish independence under the SNP while education and health standards north of the border have declined. But the Queen’s words resonated even more with the three years of deadlock in Westminster over Brexit. Her appeal to politicians to listen to one another seemed to be a comment on the way debate in Parliament has become increasingly toxic since the referendum. The Queen’s political interventions in her 67 years on the throne have been extremely rare. How William and Harry broke Queen Elizabeth II's heart How Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew could still remarry In 2014 she asked Scots “to think very carefully” before voting for independence in what was seen as support for the Union. Then prime minister David Cameron later claimed that she “purred down the line” when he called to inform her of the result to stay in the UK. The Queen was also said to have been furious about Margaret Thatcher’s handling of apartheid South Africa, seeing it as a threat to the Commonwealth. One of her earliest interventions was to visit Ghana in 1961 against the government’s wishes. There she danced with then president Kwame Nk
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