Late Queen was 'lukewarm' about letting princesses take the throne, book claims

By Victoria Ward

Elizabeth II was not overly enthusiastic about changing primogeniture law, it has been claimed.

The late Queen oversaw a change to the law of succession in 2013 that ensured the firstborn child of a monarch would be next in line to the throne regardless of gender.

However, a government source quoted on the subject in a new book has suggested that the monarch was lukewarm about making the change.

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According to Power and the Palace, by Valentine Low, neither Queen Elizabeth nor her aides at Buckingham Palace showed any great eagerness when David Cameron, the then prime minister, set his sights on delivering a package of constitutional reform.

The now Lord Cameron spoke to Julia Gillard, the then Australian prime minister, about his hopes of announcing the proposed new primogeniture law during a Commonwealth summit in Perth in October 2011, six months after the current Prince and Princess of Wales were married.

Mr Low writes: "According to a government source, he said to Gillard: 'William and Kate are getting married, there's going to be kids, shall we sort this out?'

"Crucially, the palace was not against it. But they said that the government had to ensure the backing of the other 15 realms."

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The source is quoted as saying: "I always thought that the signals from Buckingham Palace were that if it was the wish of the duly elected prime minister of the day, and the realms can be sorted out, we will not stand in its way. I didn't get the sense there was any great enthusiasm from the palace and the Queen herself."

The book describes the notable interest the King, then Prince of Wales, took in government discussions over the Succession to the Crown Act.

Buckingham Palace "firmly" instructed Whitehall to deal only with it on the matter, suggesting there was "absolutely no need" to involve aides working for either Charles or William.

Perhaps as a result, the then heir to the throne is said to have "ambushed" Richard Heaton, the permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office, with questions about the Act.

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A story subsequently leaked to a newspaper suggested he had voiced "serious concerns" about what he feared were "rushed plans" to change the laws governing the royal line of succession.

While the King backed the change in principle, he was reportedly frustrated that neither he nor his elder son had been consulted.

Jeremy Heywood, then cabinet secretary, is said to have told Mr Heaton later that the King was "in the doghouse" over the story.

Elsewhere, the book describes how the late Queen left a state banquet early in order to comfort an anxious Prince Charles on the eve of his O-levels.

Recounting an anecdote that illustrates the Queen Elizabeth's motherly affection for her son, Mr Low describes how Labour MP Barbara Castle was chatting to the monarch about Africa at the banquet.

"Their conversation came to a premature end when a flunkey came and whispered in the Queen's ear and she excused herself, 'saying laughingly that "poor Charles" was doing his O-levels the next day and just wanted a bit of reassurance'," the book states.

"When she came back, Castle was talking to Princess Margaret, and the Queen said to her sister: 'You and I would never have got into university'.

"In the state room afterwards Castle's husband told her: 'You've been monopolising the Queen.' To her surprise, she had 'enjoyed myself far more than I thought I would'."

Groped on a train

Mr Low also reveals that Queen Camilla fought off an attacker who groped her on a train when she was just a teenager by hitting him in "the nuts".

The Queen did "what my mother taught me" and took off her shoe to fend off the man as she travelled to London's Paddington station in the early 1960s when aged 16 or 17.

She reported the incident, leading to the man's arrest.

She has never spoken publicly about the attack, preferring to focus on the survivors of domestic violence and sexual assaults which she has supported for many years.

However, the Queen did not object to the story being published on the grounds that it might help encourage wider public discourse about such issues and their relevance today.

A palace source said: "If some good comes of this publication, which is that the wider issues are discussed, it de-stigmatises the whole topic and empowers girls today to take action and seek help, and to talk about it, then that's a good outcome."

A Refuge spokesman said: "The Queen's words are a powerful reminder that abuse and violence can affect anyone, and that survivors should never feel ashamed or alone.

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"By sharing her story, she is helping to break the silence and stigma that so often surround these crimes, and in doing so, can offer hope and strength to others. Every survivor deserves to be heard, supported, and believed."

Power and the Palace by Valentine Low will be published on September 11.

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2025

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