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The Queen had 15 different Prime Ministers during her reign… but only one knew the secret way to her heart
HER Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had 15 Prime Ministers during her record 70-year reign.
Winston Churchill was her first and Liz Truss was her last, having only been sworn in at Balmoral just days before her death.
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Britain's constitutional monarchy places great importance on the relationship between the Crown and the government.
During her reign the Queen officially appointed her premiers and summoned them for regular audiences to discuss matters of state.
But beyond the formalities she also found affection for her prime ministers, inviting them to join her on holiday and swapping stories.
Here are the 15 prime ministers who served Her Majesty.
Winston Churchill 1952-55
Winston Churchill was the Queen’s first prime minister and was through his second stint in No10 when she ascended to the throne in 1952.
A devout monarchist, the wartime leader is said to have had deep respect for Her Majesty, with his biographer Roy Jenkins describing his affection to her as “near idolatry”.
The Queen even reportedly wrote a handwritten letter to him when he retired in 1955 saying no other premier would be able to "hold the place of my first prime minister”
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She said she and Philip owed him “so much and for whose wise guidance during the early years of my reign I shall always be so profoundly grateful”.
When Churchill died in 1965 the Queen broke royal protocol by letting his family arrive last, rather than her as tradition dictates, out of respect.
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Anthony Eden 1955-57
The Queen’s second PM, Anthony Eden, is widely regarded as one of Britain’s worst leaders after struggling to get a grip on international events.
His premiership was largely defined by the Suez Canal Crisis, which the pair discussed during their weekly audiences.
A Palace aide said: "The Queen believed Eden was mad."
It was later revealed Eden shared his confidential government papers with Her Majesty during the saga.
It was the first time she is known to have received top secret ministerial documents.
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Harold Macmillan 1957-63
Another passionate royalist, Tory PM Harold Macmillan is believed to have really hit it off with the Queen during his tenure.
He once described her as a “great support - because she is the one person you can talk to”.
In one of their meetings, they gathered together around a radio to listen to US astronaut John Glenn hurtling through space.
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Sir Alec Douglas-Home 1963-64
Although the Queen’s shortest serving PM, Douglas-Home was a friend of her mother’s before he became PM and they shared mutual pals.
Her Majesty even went to Windsor while Tory MPs were choosing their new PM in Westminster to ensure she did not appear to influence the process.
Once PM, their weekly audiences included talks about mutual interests, such as shooting in Scotland.
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Harold Wilson 1964-70 and 1974-76
Harold Wilson was the Queen’s first Labour PM, leaving people fearing how their relationship would fare with his socialist leanings.
But the pair actually got on extremely well and developed a strong bond over their many years working together.
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Wilson was often invited on picnics with the family at Balmoral and reportedly even helped with the washing up after Philip’s famous barbecues.
According to author Ben Pimlott their weekly audiences at Buckingham Palace often stretched beyond two hours - a sign of their good relationship.
Yorkshireman Wilson is said to have charmed his way to the Queen's heart, and she even let him smoke his famous pipe during their official audiences.
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Edward Heath 1970-74
The Queen’s sixth PM presided over a tough period in office, characterised by crippling strikes and inflation.
He called an election asking the question “who governs Britain” - which he then lost.
Not much is known about his relationship with the Queen, although he is said to have struggled on small talk.
However in a recently resurfaced clip from 1991, years after he left office, the Queen can be heard joking about how he was now “expendable”, following his return from Iraq.
And in 2012 Sir John Major revealed Heath had once fallen asleep at a dinner hosted by the Queen for ex-PMs.
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James Callaghan: 1976-79
The Labour PM also grappled with gruelling strikes and strife during his three-year tenure.
But he enjoyed a good relationship with the Queen, who once even pinned a flower to his suit on a walk through the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
Callaghan once said of Her Majesty: “One of the great things about her is that she always seems able to see the funny side of life. All the conversations were very enjoyable.”
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Margaret Thatcher 1979-1990
Margaret Thatcher was the Queen’s first female PM - and their relationship has probably attracted the most comment.
A bombshell Sunday Times front page infamously ran the headline “Queen dismayed by ‘uncaring’ Thatcher”.
It referred to allegations that Her Majesty disagreed with Thatcher’s refusal to impose sanctions on apartheid South Africa.
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However despite rocky patches the pair were famously fond of each other.
This was best captured when the Queen attended Thatcher’s 70th birthday party in 1995.
Sir John Major 1990-1997
Sir John Major was the Queen’s ninth PM and has since reflected on his meetings with Her Majesty.
He said they would discuss “whatever was relevant”, which at the time was Britain’s relationship with the EU and economic uncertainty.
Major once said: “There’s nobody else ever there. No record of them is ever kept and nobody ever talks about what the content of those meetings might be.
"The only other living soul present is often the Queen’s corgis, they tend to amass around the chair. If they were bugged, all our State secrets would be apparent but to the best of my knowledge, that’s never happened.”
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Sir Tony Blair 1997-2007
Sir Tony Blair was the Queen’s 10th PM and held audiences with her for 10 years.
Within days of his election, Princess Diana died and he led the public’s tributes, famously declaring her the “People’s Princess”.
And after Buckingham Palace refused to put its flag at half-mast, it is widely thought that Downing St leaned on them to reconsider.
In his autobiography Blair said the Queen was “quite shy, strangely for someone of her experience and position; and at the same time, direct”.
He said they talked about “general guff about the government programme”.
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Gordon Brown 2007-2010
Gordon Brown’s premiership came after a 10-year stint as Chancellor, meaning he would have met the Queen several times before becoming PM.
His tenure was largely buffeted by economic disaster from the 2008 financial crash.
After Philip died, Brown revealed he sometimes still saw the Queen and that she lit up whenever he asked after her late husband.
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David Cameron 2010-2016
David Cameron was the Queen’s youngest PM at 44 - and had one of the most controversial episodes.
Shortly after the Scottish referendum, the PM was caught saying she had “practically purred down the line” after he told her the result.
He later admitted the confidentiality breach was a “terrible mistake”.
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Theresa May 2016-2019
Theresa May served as the Queen's second female PM during her three years in charge.
Her premiership was largely defined by Brexit and her struggle to push her deal through the Commons.
Shedding light on their meetings today, May said the Queen would pass on "the knowledge that she had of the people, a lot of the people that the prime minister, that I, was dealing with."
She added: "She was a very acute judge of people and was able often to give those little, if you like, pen portraits of people that she knew, that she'd met."
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Boris Johnson 2019-2022
A devout royalist, Boris Johnson is believed to have enjoyed his audiences with the Queen during his three-year tenure.
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He said: "This is our country's saddest day. In the hearts of every one of us there is an ache at the passing of our Queen."
He added: "We think of her deep wisdom, and historic understanding, and her seemingly inexhaustible but understated sense of duty."
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Liz Truss 2022
Liz Truss was the Queen's final prime minister, having been appointed by her at Balmoral just days before her death.
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Their first audience also provided the last ever picture of Her Majesty.
She will now preside over one of the greatest period's of change in our country in modern history as King Charles III assumes the throne.
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