In the final summer of her life, Queen Elizabeth II wanted to say goodbye. After leaving Windsor for the final time in 2022, having already said farewell to her beloved pony Emma, she requested that the youngest members of her family join her at Balmoral one last time.
One of these precious moments was captured on camera by Kate, then the Duchess of Cambridge, leaving the young children with a poignant souvenir of their great-grandmother’s love for them.
“She was very keen that all the great-grandchildren should have a nice, happy memory of her, so she wanted them all to come up to Balmoral,” the royal author Robert Hardman told the audience at an exclusive live recording of HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast last week.
“It was a sadness that Archie and Lilibet didn’t come that summer, but all the others did.”
© Bettmann ArchiveRobert’s new book about the late Queen hit shelves last week
Robert was reflecting on the life of the late monarch on the day that his new book – Elizabeth II: In Private, In Public, The Inside Story – was published, ahead of what would have been her 100th birthday later this month.
In an interview conducted by podcast hosts Emily Nash, Emmy Griffiths and Andrea Caamaño in a private dining space, The Judge’s Court, at Browns Covent Garden, he delighted more than 60 readers of HELLO! magazine with anecdotes and previously untold stories about the late Queen’s extraordinary life.
Attendees also received a gift bag of luxury treats from Clarins, Elizabeth Arden, Floris, Simple, Yardley and Bronnley.
© Alex IngramAudience members were treated to a luxury goodie bag at our event at Browns Covent Garden
Remarkable stories from her reign
Reflecting on the monarch’s renowned stoicism, Robert recalled how she carried out a public engagement just hours after she woke to find an intruder, Michael Fagan, sitting on the edge of her bed at Buckingham Palace in 1982.
“What is so extraordinary is that she had an investiture that morning at 11am,” he said. “She knew all those people had come a very long way; it was a very important day for them.
“She went out there and did the investiture, and no one had the faintest idea what she’d just been through – because that’s duty.”
Robert also remarked on Elizabeth’s lively sense of humour and the lesser-known emotional side of her character, which resulted in what he was told was “nervous exhaustion” when she was 43.
© Alex IngramEmily Nash and Robert Hardman pose on publication day for Robert’s new book Elizabeth II
“That was in the summer of 1969, which was a turning point for the family,” he said. “Around the investiture of Charles as the Prince of Wales, there was a lot of tension building up in Wales. It was getting really ugly and bombs were going off. It had been very stressful for the Queen.
“She went back to London, cancelled all of her engagements and took to her bed, which was completely unlike her. The palace put out a statement saying that she was suffering from what they called a summer flu.
“But, as I was told by someone very senior, it was actually nervous exhaustion. That was the one year she didn’t do her Christmas broadcast.”
Successful union with Prince Philip
By her side during that time was, of course, her adoring husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. Robert told the podcast audience that the Queen stopped travelling overseas in her later years to ensure that she could be there for Prince Philip.
“She just didn’t want to go, in case he was ill while she was away,” he said, adding that she liked to take care of her husband. “She once said to someone talking to her: ‘I’ve got to go, I’m going to give Philip his lunch.’
© Getty ImagesThe late Queen and Prince Philip were married for 73 years
“He gave her a lot of confidence-building measures in the early years. He was very much ‘the alpha’, but his duty was to her and she was always trying to repay that. For example, one of the first things she did when she became Queen was appoint him as a ranger for Windsor Great Park, which he absolutely loved.”
Worries about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
The couple were united in their concerns for their middle son, then known as Prince Andrew, whose fall from grace created a very difficult time. “She could see that the others [children] were self-starters; they were confident and would get on with life.
“But Andrew was headstrong – by the time he was a young adult, it was quite clear that he was impressionable and a bit boorish, and would say and do the wrong thing.”
Of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former role as the UK’s trade envoy, which led to his recent arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, Robert said: “I think many people let Andrew get away with a lot of stuff. Part of that probably was that they didn’t want to upset the Queen, who was fully aware that he could be a handful. She was worried about him.
“I was told by someone very close to her that one of the hardest things she had to do was agree to effectively draft his resignation letter [from royal duties] in 2019. It was so painful for her. It was one of her lowest moments.”
© Alex IngramThe recording took place at Browns Covent Garden in private dining area The Judge’s Court
He also told the audience how Andrew came to blows with the Master of the Household after he was unable to secure a room for a business meeting. “We didn’t quite know whether it was a punch, but we know it was much more than a push – it was described to me as a kinetic blow. Everyone was appalled.
“Prince Philip actually wrote a letter of apology, and when it was finally relayed to the Queen, she said: ‘I know what he is like.’ She dealt in gestures, if you will. Within months of this incident, [the Master, now Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt] was knighted.”
‘Painful moments’ with the Sussexes
Another tough chapter in her life came when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from royal duties for a life in the US. “It was one of the painful moments of her later years,” he told the audience.
© Getty ImagesThe Sussexes were a topic of conversation at HELLO!’s live podcast event
“When Harry announced his engagement, everyone was thrilled. Then, gradually, there were blips that gained momentum.”
One of these was an argument between Meghan and Harry and the Queen’s dresser, Angela Kelly, over the tiara the Duchess had picked to wear to her wedding in 2018.
The bride-to-be wanted to borrow a specific priceless piece for trials with her hairdresser. But according to Robert, this was impossible, as Angela and her team were looking into the provenance of the diamonds, in case they caused any offence.
“Angela Kelly and the team were checking it, and all the time, Harry was on the phone saying: ‘Where’s the tiara? I need the tiara.’ The Queen came out and said: ‘It’s not a toy!’
“She couldn’t quite understand, as in the run-up to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the bride had used a toy tiara from Claire’s accessories.
“It’s another example of what we charitably called a clash of cultures. When the Sussexes left for America, that was very sad for the Queen.”
Robert also recalled that she knew the couple would not return, as they had taken their dogs with them to the US.
But despite the many challenges of her remarkable reign, Elizabeth was a natural on the throne – and was born to do the job. “She loved being Queen. She was very happy,” he said.
© POOL/AFP via Getty Images”She loved being Queen. She was very happy,” Robert Hardman said
“I was particularly lucky to be allowed to read her father’s war diaries; they are fascinating. She adored him. He was her mentor.
“When you understand him, I think you understand her; you see that dogged day-in, day-out side of things. You just get on with it because you have to. That’s your duty.”
Highlights from the event
Emmy Griffiths said: “My favourite moment of the episode was Robert Hardman discussing the Sussexes, and their exit from the royal family, because it was so interesting to have an insight into what the Queen actually thought and felt about that. At the time, there was so much speculation every single news outlet was covering it and reporting different things. So the fact that she still had that sense of humour during what was obviously a really challenging time in the monarchy, and her quip about how she knew they weren’t coming back because they’d taken the dogs, I think it just shows how she always maintained that sense of humour through every situation. And it was really interesting to see a little behind the curtain of what it was like for her during that time.”
Andrea Caamano said: “My highlight was meeting some of our loyal listeners, who have been with us since the beginning of the podcast, but also hearing them laugh and just enjoying themselves. I also loved meeting one of the listeners at the end who said to me that she’d met wonderful people today and that she’d made lots of new friends, which I think is 100% the point of all of these events.”
Emily Nash said: “I really loved hearing Robert talk about how the late Queen managed herself as a young woman in a man’s world. I thought that was absolutely fascinating.”
Sophie Vokes-Dudgeon said: “I really enjoyed hearing the questions from the readers and what it was that they wanted to know. And one of the questions about the Queen and the corgis was particularly brilliant and resulted in a story about how the Queen used to keep a little silver tray of corgi biscuits on her dining table. I thought that was very cute.”
Watch the full recording of the event below:
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