Major
There was widespread relief, not least in the Palace, when she was replaced by the much less abrasive John Major, who acted with a kindly concern for the young Princes William and Harry after the separation of their parents and the subsequent death of their mother. Major may have insisted in 1992 that the monarch start paying income tax again for the first time since 1937, but he granted concessions that the Queen and her successors would never have to sell Balmoral or Sandringham to settle a tax bill.
Blair
The arrival of Tony Blair in 1997 heralded another change of governmental style, with an unhealthy concentration of power and decision-making behind the closed doors of Downing Street, and the distinct if unspoken impression that the Palace should be a branch of the Prime Minister’s office. Downing Street masterminded Diana’s funeral, and drafted the message that the Queen would deliver to the nation. Blair, sensing the mood of the moment, was first on television to describe her as ‘the people’s princess’. At the time of the Queen’s golden wedding celebrations in 1997, Blair borrowed Disraeli’s trowel to heap public praise on the monarch, but at the same time he took away her yacht, and abolished the constitutional role of hereditary peers.
When the Queen began her reign in 1952, Tony Blair had not even been born. It’s hard to say how much he valued the weekly dose of long-sighted wisdom from a woman whose public life extends back to the Second World War.
Brown
Gordon Brown took over duties after Tony Blair resigned. Born in Renfrewshire, Scotland, Brown has an accent that apparently the Queen enjoyed mimicking. The two reportedly got on well, with the Queen apparently taking an interest in Brown’s two young sons John and Fraser. The result was that Brown’s final audience with the Queen, which was always likely to be emotional, took place with his sons and wife Sarah by his side. It’s the first time in the Queen’s reign that any of her departing PMs have been accompanied by their children. Brown and his wife were touched by the gesture, while the boys will surely never forget the occasion.
Cameron
Reportedly, Buckingham Palace was not happy with former Prime Minister David Cameron after he revealed that he asked for the Queen’s help over the Scottish independence referendum in 2014.
Mr Cameron told the BBC he had asked whether the Queen could “raise an eyebrow” about the prospect of Scotland voting for independence in 2014, that is to say, show disapproval. The Queen later said Scottish people should “think carefully about the future”. Cameron – who was Prime Minister from 2010-16 – said what was discussed was not “anything that would be in any way improper”.
