London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Ex-PMs on taking Queen's advice and King's 'long apprenticeship'

Ex-PMs on taking Queen's advice and King's 'long apprenticeship'

There is a tiny special club, a powerful group who knew Queen Elizabeth in a particular and private way - her prime ministers.

They all used to speak to her in person for an hour or so each week. The monarch was their confidant of sorts, an adviser providing a shrewd ear.

For this week's programme I've been speaking to Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May, the Queen's 11th, 12th, and 13th prime ministers, about why it matters, their memories of one monarch, and their hopes for the next.

The Queen always would have "done her red boxes, read government papers" and would be well-versed in the dilemmas of government decisions, said Mrs May.

Her predecessor, Mr Brown, joked that sometimes he had been "embarrassed" by the extent of her knowledge, recalling that on one occasion she had more up to date information about a particular Commonwealth country than he did.

Mr Cameron described the Queen as the "world's greatest public servant" with a profound understanding of what was going on at any one moment.

All three former PMs told me they benefitted enormously from her long years of experience that she shared with them in private - a sense that whatever the problem of the day, she could provide advice and a sense of proportion.

They all emphasised the new King's long years of preparation and knowledge of the role he now occupies, with Mr Cameron telling me the then-Prince Charles, during what he called "the longest apprenticeship in history", had practised holding audiences with him while his mother was on the throne.

Looking to the future, Mr Brown said he felt King Charles - in his televised address to the nation on Friday - had carefully sent a message to the country that his priorities would change, leaving his charities and causes to others to take on.

Yet what stood out in our conversations were their personal encounters with the Queen.

For Mr Brown it was the time she told the corgis to "shut up" in front of his young sons. For months after, they would defend themselves when being told off for using the phrase by saying: "If the Queen says it, why can't we?"

Gordon Brown recalls the Queen telling her corgis to "shut up" in front of his young sons


Mr Cameron recalled the time he got lost on the Balmoral estate but was found by the Duke of Edinburgh - travelling at speed in his Land Rover across the moor - and how at state occasions, his wife Samantha always wanted to sit next to the then-Prince Charles because he was the most fun companion for a long, formal evening.

Mrs May remembered with laughter the time she dropped the cheese at the Balmoral picnic, then put it back on the table even though the Queen was watching her every move, and how at those Highland weekends the monarch would sit happily playing patience on her own while her guests mingled around her.

These politicians knew the Queen well, but our conversations echo how many members of the public perhaps felt - the most formal, yet familiar too.

The monarch with golden robes and a jewel-laden Crown - but a friendly face in a difficult moment.

The most experienced and knowledgeable diplomat the country has ever seen, and the party host clearing up the barbecue. The head of state of the sixth biggest economy in the world, but also a great-grandmother at ease with Paddington Bear.

On our show last week we interviewed the woman who was the last politician to have the traditional audience with the Queen. It's fitting perhaps that the last formal photograph of her showed that vital encounter with Liz Truss.

The new PM and the new King are now the next to fulfil this tradition. It's hard to fathom how much has changed in just seven days. But the connection, the importance of the conversations between the inhabitant of the Palace and the prime minister goes on.


Watch: Mr Cameron told the BBC that Charles had served “the longest apprenticeship in history”


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×