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| John Major's 'annus horribilis' pro-monarchy drive revealed in files | John Major's 'annus horribilis' pro-monarchy drive revealed in files |
| (about 19 hours later) | |
| PM told cabinet to mount campaign in attempt to halt public and media pressure on royal family that came to a head in 1992 | |
| Alan Travis Home affairs editor | |
| Fri 29 Dec 2017 00.01 GMT | |
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| The royal family faced such a sustained period of “intrusive and intolerable” media criticism by the end of 1992 – labelled their annus horribilis by the Queen – that John Major told his ministers they needed to mount a campaign of support, confidential cabinet papers reveal. | The royal family faced such a sustained period of “intrusive and intolerable” media criticism by the end of 1992 – labelled their annus horribilis by the Queen – that John Major told his ministers they needed to mount a campaign of support, confidential cabinet papers reveal. |
| Major accelerated a planned announcement that the Queen would pay income tax, initiated a series of speeches supporting the monarchy and ministers strengthened their support for a new privacy law in an attempt to halt the public and media pressure on the royal family. | Major accelerated a planned announcement that the Queen would pay income tax, initiated a series of speeches supporting the monarchy and ministers strengthened their support for a new privacy law in an attempt to halt the public and media pressure on the royal family. |
| The Queen’s 40th anniversary year in 1992 was dominated by a spectacular series of royal tabloid scandals involving figures including Sarah Ferguson and Camilla Parker-Bowles, as well as Squidgygate, Princess Anne’s divorce and the separation of Prince Charles and Diana. It was all compounded by a devastating fire at Windsor Castle that November. Criticism peaked when it was learned the public were expected to foot the bill to rebuild Windsor. | The Queen’s 40th anniversary year in 1992 was dominated by a spectacular series of royal tabloid scandals involving figures including Sarah Ferguson and Camilla Parker-Bowles, as well as Squidgygate, Princess Anne’s divorce and the separation of Prince Charles and Diana. It was all compounded by a devastating fire at Windsor Castle that November. Criticism peaked when it was learned the public were expected to foot the bill to rebuild Windsor. |
| The Queen publicly declared 1992 was not a year she would look back on with “undiluted pleasure” and called it her annus horribilis. | The Queen publicly declared 1992 was not a year she would look back on with “undiluted pleasure” and called it her annus horribilis. |
| The confidential cabinet minutes released at the National Archives on Friday show that Major told the cabinet on 26 November 1992 that the Queen had asked him several months before to consider the idea that she and Prince Charles pay “the equivalent of income tax” on their private income and had expected to make an announcement in a few weeks. | The confidential cabinet minutes released at the National Archives on Friday show that Major told the cabinet on 26 November 1992 that the Queen had asked him several months before to consider the idea that she and Prince Charles pay “the equivalent of income tax” on their private income and had expected to make an announcement in a few weeks. |
| “However, in the light of the recent unjustified media criticism of the Queen’s taxation position and after discussion with Her Majesty” he had decided to tell parliament later that day that the discussions were taking place, Major told the cabinet. | “However, in the light of the recent unjustified media criticism of the Queen’s taxation position and after discussion with Her Majesty” he had decided to tell parliament later that day that the discussions were taking place, Major told the cabinet. |
| “The recent media coverage of the royal family had been intrusive and intolerable. Members of the Royal Family were being put under extreme strain. The coverage bore no relation to the dedicated work done by members of the Royal Family,” the minutes record. | “The recent media coverage of the royal family had been intrusive and intolerable. Members of the Royal Family were being put under extreme strain. The coverage bore no relation to the dedicated work done by members of the Royal Family,” the minutes record. |
| “The initiative taken by the Queen and the Prince of Wales on taxation was most welcome and when this was publicly known a major source of the current criticism of the royal family would be stopped. | “The initiative taken by the Queen and the Prince of Wales on taxation was most welcome and when this was publicly known a major source of the current criticism of the royal family would be stopped. |
| “On the other hand, the gesture would not by itself change the behaviour of the media and some would represent it as resulting from their pressure. The government should reinforce the Queen’s initiative by strong expressions of support for the institution of the monarchy. The prime minister might consider making this a centrepiece of a major speech in due course. Support from other leading figures in public life, such as the archbishop of Canterbury and the cardinal archbishop of Westminster, could also be timely. | “On the other hand, the gesture would not by itself change the behaviour of the media and some would represent it as resulting from their pressure. The government should reinforce the Queen’s initiative by strong expressions of support for the institution of the monarchy. The prime minister might consider making this a centrepiece of a major speech in due course. Support from other leading figures in public life, such as the archbishop of Canterbury and the cardinal archbishop of Westminster, could also be timely. |
| “The findings of the review of press self-regulation being conducted by Sir David Calcutt QC would be available early next year and could have a significant bearing. The recent conduct of the press had strengthened the case for new privacy legislation.” | “The findings of the review of press self-regulation being conducted by Sir David Calcutt QC would be available early next year and could have a significant bearing. The recent conduct of the press had strengthened the case for new privacy legislation.” |
| Summing up the discussion, Major said he would discuss all the “helpful suggestions” with the Queen and would stress in public his “great public respect and affection for the monarchy as an institution and for individual members of the royal family”. | Summing up the discussion, Major said he would discuss all the “helpful suggestions” with the Queen and would stress in public his “great public respect and affection for the monarchy as an institution and for individual members of the royal family”. |
| The New York Times would go on to describe the tax announcement as “a well-timed public relations initiative to defuse festering resentment over the royal wealth and life style among Britain’s recession-weary public”. | The New York Times would go on to describe the tax announcement as “a well-timed public relations initiative to defuse festering resentment over the royal wealth and life style among Britain’s recession-weary public”. |
| But it did little to improve the royal family’s public standing. Only two weeks later, on 10 December, the attorney general is recorded telling the cabinet that the formal announcement the day before of the separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales would not affect their constitutional positions. | But it did little to improve the royal family’s public standing. Only two weeks later, on 10 December, the attorney general is recorded telling the cabinet that the formal announcement the day before of the separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales would not affect their constitutional positions. |
| As long as there were no plans for divorce there was no legal impediment to their being crowned king and queen in due course, he advised the cabinet. That advice was rendered academic when Buckingham Palace ordered a divorce after Diana’s 1995 declaration in a BBC Panorama interview that “there were three of us in this marriage”. | As long as there were no plans for divorce there was no legal impediment to their being crowned king and queen in due course, he advised the cabinet. That advice was rendered academic when Buckingham Palace ordered a divorce after Diana’s 1995 declaration in a BBC Panorama interview that “there were three of us in this marriage”. |
| Monarchy | |
| The Queen | |
| John Major | |
| Conservatives | |
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