Thatcher Mum on Questions of Royal Rift

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher repeatedly declined to answer questions in Parliament today about a reported rift between her and Queen Elizabeth that raised fears of a British constitutional crisis.

The growing political controversy that enveloped the traditionally neutral Buckingham Palace threatened to add a sour note to Wednesday’s royal wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.

On the eve of the wedding, Thatcher was repeatedly asked during her regular question-and-answer session in the House of Commons about her relationship with Queen Elizabeth II.

“I intend to follow the well-established policy of my predecessors and not answer questions directly or indirectly about the monarch,” Thatcher replied each time.

‘Uncaring, Confrontational’

The heated questions stemmed from an article in the Sunday Times that cited sources close to the queen as saying Queen Elizabeth considered Thatcher’s policies “often to be uncaring, confrontational and socially divisive.”

The Royal Family is supposed to remain neutral politically.

The queen’s press secretary, Michael Shea, vehemently denied the news story. But editor Andrew Neil responded by disclosing that the sources for the story were “within the palace” and had volunteered the information.

“I was surprised and impressed by the caliber of the source,” Neil said.

At the same time, members of Parliament called on the palace to find its news leakers and fire them, and one London tabloid bluntly warned the queen that she would lose in any political fight with the elected government.

The rare palace leak followed news reports last week that the queen, head of the 49-nation Commonwealth, was upset that Thatcher’s refusal to impose sanctions against South Africa could lead to the breakup of the Commonwealth. The two were reported on a collision course.