Buckingham Palace denies Queen blocked law which would have forced her to disclose her shareholdings
Buckingham Palace has insisted the Queen has by no means tried to block laws, after newly unearthed memos urged her private lawyer lobbied the federal government to change a draft law that would have disclosed particulars of her non-public share dealings.
Documents from the National Archives revealed a collection of conferences between her lawyer, Matthew Farrer, and senior civil servants in 1973 after Edward Heath’s authorities proposed laws that would have made firm shareholdings extra clear.
A report in The Guardian claims the Queen was made conscious of the draft law by way of the enactment of Queen’s Consent, when the monarch is knowledgeable of laws that would have an effect on the non-public pursuits of the Crown.
Documents recommend that in Nov 1973, after turning into conscious of a invoice that would doubtlessly expose the “embarrassing” extent of her share holdings, the Queen dispatched Mr Farrer to press the federal government to make adjustments.
The authorities inserted a clause into the draft laws granting the ability to exempt firms utilized by “heads of state” from transparency measures. But additional correspondence urged unhappiness at that compromise as a result of it would nonetheless make it apparent what investments the Queen held.
In Dec 1973, Sir Geoffrey Howe, the Trade Secretary, wrote to a fellow minister proposing a clause within the Bill to permit the federal government to exempt sure firms from declaring the identities of shareholders. His memo mentioned: “My department have discussed this solution with legal advisers to the Queen.
“While they can’t … commit themselves to utilizing the urged new facility, they settle for it’s a completely cheap resolution to the issue … and so they couldn’t ask us to do extra.”
Last night, Buckingham Palace said any assertion the Queen had the power to block legislation was “incorrect”. A spokesman said: “Queen’s Consent is a parliamentary course of, with the function of sovereign purely formal. Consent is all the time granted by the monarch the place requested by Government.
“Any assertion that the sovereign has blocked legislation is simply incorrect.
“Whether Queen’s Consent is required is determined by Parliament, independently from the Royal Household, in issues that would have an effect on Crown pursuits. If Consent is required, draft laws is, by conference, put to the sovereign to grant solely on recommendation of ministers and as a matter of public document.”
