header-logo header-logo

03 October 2019 / Athelstane Aamodt
Issue: 7858 / Categories: Features , Constitutional law
printer mail-detail

The monarch & the minister

8639
A word of advice to David Cameron: the special relationship between the prime minister & the queen should not be taken for granted, says Athelstane Aamodt

David Cameron’s decision to reveal details of his private conversations with the queen in both his recently published autobiography, and also in a Red Box podcast with The Times, has caused Buckingham Palace to express its ‘displeasure and annoyance’ with the former prime minister. The mention of a conversation that they both had about the Scottish referendum on independence has been the principal source of the monarch’s ire, as well his disclosure that the queen had driven at ‘breakneck speed’ at Balmoral and that she had also told Mr Cameron that she was the only woman to have ever driven in Saudi Arabia. 

The monarch usually has a weekly meeting with the prime minister (although it is technically an ‘audience’). These meetings, that are listed in the court circular, are usually held on a Wednesday afternoon, but they are occasionally held on the telephone. The

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

HFW—Nelson Wang

HFW—Nelson Wang

HFW strengthens global insurance practice and Greater China offering with London Partner hire

Burges Salmon—David McEwing

Burges Salmon—David McEwing

Burges Salmon boosts Energy and Utilities practice with appointment of David McEwing

Browne Jacobson—Alexander Studholme

Browne Jacobson—Alexander Studholme

Browne Jacobson adds international construction arbitration partner in London push

NEWS
A former senior judge has warned peers against scrapping juries for fraud and financial crimes, ahead of the Courts and Tribunals Bill’s second reading in the House of Lords this week
Civil practitioners face changes spanning debt recovery, workplace harassment and possession claims, alongside guidance on insolvency challenges and children proceedings

Finding matrimonial wealth is as challenging as dividing it, as family disputes draw practitioners into asset tracing, offshore structures and insolvency

Agreement between opponents offers no guarantee that a court will approve a retrospective increase to a costs budget
Climate change belongs on every lawyer’s agenda, with risks extending far beyond environmental practice into commercial advice, litigation and access to justice
back-to-top-scroll