London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Boris Johnson has disregarded claims Queen Elizabeth II once referred to him as an “idiot” just days before her death, calling the allegations “highly unlikely”.
According to the book, titled ‘Out’ by Tim Shipman, the late Queen allegedly made the rude comment during a family meeting at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Appearing on GB News, Boris rejected the claims and told the host: “I think it’s highly unlikely that she stated that.”
Who is the source of the queen’s “idiot” remark?
In his new book, Tim Shipman said Queen Elizabeth II joked, “At least I won’t have that idiot organising my funeral now” after receiving Boris Johnson’s resignation as prime minister. In an additional quip regarding his personality, the author also claims the late Queen added that Boris was “perhaps better suited to the stage” and made the joke with “mischief in her eye”. The incident allegedly occurred when the late Queen designated Liz Truss as her 15th prime minister in one of the final official actions of her reign.
What did Boris say about the queen’s alleged comment?
The former PM said: “Because, of course, no prime minister arranges the funeral. It’s done by DCMS. I think it’s possible that it’s negative tittle-tattle and what I can say, as I do say by my book ‘Unleashed’, is I only cite her for the second time in a very decorous way. What I do try to give a sight of what it was like to meet her and the truth about the relationship.”
Further disregarding the claims on GB News, Boris challenged the source: “I’d like to know who the source of that is. I’m told by Shippers that it was a courtier to a Tory cabinet minister, which is three removed and I think it’s highly unlikely to be accurate.”