The BBC political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, has re-sparked allegations over the Queen’s position on the EU referendum.
Kuensseberg said she was told of the Queen’s alleged comment about Brexit months before the Sun’s headline, “Queen backs Brexit”, which was called misleading by Buckingham Palace.
The political editor told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “In a casual chat with one of my contacts, they said ‘Do you know what? At some point this is going to come out, and I’m telling you now and I don’t know if the BBC would touch it, but the Queen told people at a private lunch that she thinks that we should leave the EU.
“Apparently, at this lunch she said ‘I don’t see why we can’t just get out. What’s the problem?’
“My jaw hit the floor. Very sadly, I only had one source. I spent the next few days trying to prove it. I couldn’t find the evidence. Lo and behold, a couple of months later, someone else did. Of course then ensued a huge row between that newspaper and the Palace over what had really been said or not said.
“There were lots of moments in the referendum campaign but for me that was one when my jaw did hit the floor. Very frustratingly, the story did eventually emerge, whether it was true or not.”
Despite questions surrounding the Sun’s headline, the newspaper has backed its claim saying it has two sources – one of them being Nick Clegg.
Clegg however, has disregarded the claim as “nonsense”, saying he could not recall the conversation. He then went on to point the finger at Michael Gove, who had also been present at the time.
The Queen has not yet confirmed the comment about Brexit and the Sun’s headline and prompted a successful complaint to the press regulator, Ipso.