How the Queen was called 'rude' for claiming EU is getting 'awfully big'

As head of state, the Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters. By convention, the Queen does not vote or stand for election, however Her Majesty does have important ceremonial and formal roles in relation to the government of the UK. Throughout her long reign, Her Majesty’s views have remained strictly between her and her ministers.


However, according to a throwback report by The Daily Telegraph, the monarch made an “unconstitutional” claim about the expansion of the European Union in 2011. Joan Smith, an author and broadcaster, who was at the time in a relationship with Denis MacShane, a former Europe Minister, told the newspaper in 2011: “I was present when the Queen made a comment that was both reactionary and unconstitutional. “It was at a Christmas party at Buckingham Palace. It was mostly MPs and ex-ministers.” Ms Smith, who apparently refused to make a curtsy for the monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh, added: “Before the Queen came in, a small group of us were asked to stand in the corner and wait to be introduced.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with ex-EU chief Jean Claude Juncker

"I smiled and said 'hello’ and she looked at me with almost disbelief and passed on to the next person. "It was a nice Conservative MP and his wife, who, he said, was Turkish. She immediately said: 'Philip and I have been on a state visit to Turkey.’ “The woman was very polite and said how pleased people were that she had visited. "Then, the Queen turned to another person in the group and said: 'The EU is getting awfully big with 28 countries.’ "They said that, actually, it was 27, 'but we are hoping Turkey will come in soon’, to which the Queen said, 'Oh, we don’t want Turkey to come in for a long time.’" Ms Smith claimed she thought it was very "rude" of Her Majesty. JUST IN: Princess Diana's 'bid to move into Trump Tower' revealed


Queen Elizabeth II

Former Europe minister Denis MacShane

Buckingham Palace declined to comment at the time, but a courtier told the publication: “While it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Her Majesty made such a comment, it may have been taken out of context. “The Queen has a good relationship with Turkey and Ms Smith is, I believe, a prominent republican.” Since 2016 accession negotiations between Turkey and the bloc have stalled. The EU has accused and criticised Turkey for human rights violations and deficits in the rule of law. In 2017, EU officials expressed that planned Turkish policies violate the Copenhagen criteria of eligibility for an EU membership. Her Majesty is not the only royal who is said to have made political comments, particularly regarding Europe. DON'T MISS:

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