Not in Front of the Corgis by Brian Hoey Read Free Book Online Page B

familydebate. If there is one major family disappointment it is Philip’s relationship with his eldest son who he believes is indecisive. Prince Philip has definite views on everything; he is ambivalent about nothing; just like his daughter Anne.
    Of course, where The Queen is forced to steer clear of anything controversial, her husband appears to court it deliberately. He favours the head-on approach. Where she is required not to voice her opinions in public, there are no such constitutional constraints on Philip. He also likes to provoke argument with those who might be regarded as his social inferiors. One day he met an attractive young woman in the corridors of Buckingham Palace. Not recognising her, he asked what she was doing there and where she worked. She replied that she was employed in the Royal Collection. To which he said, ‘They are all mad there.’ She was then quick-witted enough to come back with the words ‘Yes, Sir. It’s one of the prime qualifications’. He was greatly amused and later told The Queen about the encounter.
P RINCESS M ARGARET
    Second in the popularity league table was the late Princess Margaret, The Queen’s only sister, who died in 2002. She lived in great splendour in a thirty- five-room apartment at 1A Clock Court in Kensington Palace, a home that for years was the centre of society among stars of show business, films and the arts. Margaret was acknowledged, even within her ownfamily, as the most Regal and arrogant of them all. She would never allow anyone, for an instant, to forget who she was and the position she occupied. She would not speak directly on the telephone to anyone unless they were of equal or higher rank, which narrowed the field down quite a bit. All others were instructed to speak to an aide and relay messages to her.
    A young Welsh Guards officer was invited by a mutual friend to join the Princess at a dinner party. This was late in 1951 when the world knew that her father, King George VI, was seriously ill. The young officer was seated next to Margaret and when he was presented to her he politely asked how her father was feeling. ‘Are you referring to His Majesty ?’ she frostily replied and then pointedly ignored him for the remainder of the evening.
    On a later occasion, the wife of one of the Household private secretaries was on the guest list at a dinner party. This lady was from the Argentine and this was at the time of the Falklands conflict. When the Princess, who was seated near the guest, tried to guess at her accent, and failed, she eventually demanded to know where she had come from. On being told it was the Argentine, she turned her back and not only ignored her for the rest of the evening but excluded her from the conversation until the meal was over. It was an example of the extreme bad manners that Margaret would display on many occasions. Which makes it surprising that she was a popular employer among Palace staff.
    One of her former police protection officers said that when he was told he was going to work for her,his heart sank because of her reputation as a tyrant. However, the reverse was true. The first thing Margaret showed him was how she liked her drinks mixed. Her favourite was The Famous Grouse whisky, poured over ice cubes, with a little soda water added. She explained the exact measurements and told him that as long as he got it right every time they would get along famously. But the first time he got it wrong, he would be out on his ear. He must have done something right as he continued to work for her quite happily until he was moved to a younger member of the Royal Family.
    When Margaret and Lord Snowdon were married, his valet, and other male servants, would frequently walk into the Princess’s dressing room to find her sitting at her dressing table stark naked. She didn’t bat an eyelid or try to cover herself. It was as if they didn’t even exist – just another piece of furniture. But, again, like her brother-in-law,