Thatcher Declines to Answer Questions on Queen
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher repeatedly declined to answer questions in Parliament on Tuesday about a reported rift between her and Queen Elizabeth II that has raised fears of a constitutional crisis.
Thatcher was repeatedly asked during her regular question-and-answer session in the House of Commons about her relationship with the queen.
“I intend to follow the well-established policy of my predecessors and not answer questions directly or indirectly about the monarch,” she replied each time.
The questions stemmed from an article in the Sunday Times that cited sources close to the queen as saying she considered Thatcher’s policies often “uncaring, confrontational and socially divisive.”
The Royal Family is supposed to remain neutral politically.
The Times story 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 Commonwealth’s breakup.
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