The Queen (2009) s01e03 Episode Script
The Rivals
In the late summer of 1985, the Queen was expecting a visit from her Prime Minister.
Both were about to tum 60, but neither were looking to retire.
It says here in this interview that you plan to go on and on.
I said it because some MPs had been suggesting I stand down before the next election.
Pym and the other wets, no doubt.
Are you all right? I left my torch at home.
I'm sure someone can find you another.
Try not to be so anxious this time.
Think of it as a holiday.
My father always said that holidays were for the rich and idle.
For six years, the two most powerful women in Britain had kept the lid on their personal differences.
Why does she always say âwe" instead of âlâ? âWe are far too busy to watch television.
" But it wouldn't be the miners' strike or inner-city riots that would force the conflict out into the open.
I was appalled at the violence.
The rule of the mob cannot be allowed to replace the rule of the law.
The extraordinary battle between the two women would finally boil over because of a seemingly obscure issue, but one the Queen felt more passionate about than anything else.
It's their Commonwealth, their club.
If they want to break it up, that's up to them.
Terrible business with Mrs Thatcher, ghastly woman.
We were actually on the brink of the biggest constitutional crisis for the Queen in her reign.
Bill, could you come and see me in the audience room? As the clock ticked down to the 1986 Commonwealth Games, events would set the two women head to head in a conflict only one could win.
It's all down to that bloody grocer's daughter.
Good afternoon, ma'am.
Good afternoon, Bill.
Has the Prime Minister settled in'? Yes, ma'am.
I have offered to show her round the gardens, but she said she had some Cabinet papers to read.
Are you planning on going underground? It's for Mrs Thatcher.
Apparently she's scared of the dark.
Good gracious.
And they were absolutely worlds apart.
So what do you make of this North-South divide, Mrs Thatcher? I'm not sure I follow you, ma'am.
It's what they mentioned to me on my visit to the north-east.
Apparently, there are far fewer job opportunities compared to the south.
Unfortunately, the north-east is taking time to adapt.
Adapt'? Adapt to what? The older, traditional industries have struggled to keep up with the rest of the world.
But new companies like Nissan cars are moving there soon, so the area will be rejuvenated.
Mrs Thatcher was, as snobs have said, terribly suburban.
Whereas the Queen spent as much of her life as possible in the country.
Never happier than up to her knees in dung and that sort of thing.
Mrs Thatcher was not like that.
How's your son, Mr Thatcher? Still involved in the motor trade? Not any more.
He finds it hard to settle on one thing.
The something for nothing generation - want miracles without putting in the work.
Mark works hard, he just has an unending capacity to make a complete balls-up of everything.
He should get together with Charles.
I think we should head back.
But we're nearly at the top.
I don't think Mrs Thatcher is able to go any further.
Margaret Thatcher became leader of the Conservative Party because sex was her secret weapon.
Not that she seduced anyone, but because when she first stood, nobody took her chance seriously.
âShe's a woman, so she's not going to make it.
" And the fact that she did make it was because people hadn't acknowledged that factor.
The problem really with her relationship with Mrs Thatcher was they were so unalike, apart from their gender.
When I was 21, I pledged my life to the service of our people.
And I asked for God's help to make good that vow.
I do not regret nor retract one word of it.
She was given this role to do, she didn't choose it.
God, as it were, elected her to do it and she was going to do it to the best of her ability.
Her Majesty the Queen has asked me to form a new administration.
Where there is discord, may we bring harmony Margaret Thatcher was blessed with a firm conviction which meant that she didn't change her mind, didn't faff around, flop from one thing to the other.
Rejoice at that news and congratulate our forces and the Marines.
After the Falklands War, Mrs Thatcher won a second term with a landslide majority.
She was now the most popular and powerful post-war Prime Minister with a mandate to drag Britain into the next century.
Margaret Thatcher was a very driven person.
She was the first member of her sex to be Prime Minister and she came into the country when huge changes were necessary and she was determined to make them.
I can well understand the Queen feeling, âOh, my goodness, is the country going to tear itself apart?" Six years into Mrs Thatcher's reign and the Queen saw her kingdom divided.
Record unemployment and the miners' strike were soon followed by inner-city riots.
The Queen stood for stability, the complete opposite to Mrs Thatcher's revolution.
She really got quite upset by what she saw as the brutalities of Thatcherism, and was quite worried that Mrs Thatcher was actually beginning to destroy the fabric of the nation.
But what finally caused the differences between the Queen and Mrs Thatcher to boil over was not the division and discord at home, but events far, far away in Africa.
The South African government have tonight declared a state of emergency I wish to give the assurance that strict action will be taken against those persons and institutions that cause or propagate disruption.
I've always felt a strong connection with South Africa.
Probably because of that marriage vow you made when you were there in '47.
It's mean of you to call it that.
Well, you did devote your entire life to the service of the Commonwealth.
I meant it, too.
I can't remember ever being so moved by a speech.
It made me cry.
I declare before you all that my whole life shall be devoted to the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.
By the time Elizabeth was crowned Queen, she was no longer ruler of a great imperial family, but head of the Commonwealth, a group of 49 nations connected by history and tradition.
The Queen still saw them as a family, one she would protect for the rest of her life.
But by 1985, apartheid South Africa had long since left the Commonwealth.
The black majority had been stripped of their basic human rights and Nelson Mandela had been imprisoned for life.
a vivid reminder of the personal cost of the ongoing violence.
I like to think that one day I'll return.
I wouldn't hold out your hopes.
I can't see South Africa being in a rush to rejoin the Commonwealth.
Nothing lasts forever.
The Queen has, throughout the whole of her reign, been an enormous supporter of the Commonwealth.
Mrs Thatcher was more suspicious of its value.
I have spoken to the Palace.
The Queen would still like to go ahead with the weekly audience this evening.
The Queen is keen to discuss the agenda for the Commonwealth conference before leaving for Nassau.
The agenda? But I'll be meeting with her at the conference.
Prime Minister, they were rather insistent.
I take it she's aware of our position? There is a letter from the Secretary General with a list of suggested economic sanctions for South Africa.
Ah, I see coal is on there.
Did you know Britain imported coal from South Africa during the miners' strike? No, ma'am, I did not.
And ALL the Commonwealth heads of government are in favour of sanctions'? All except the head of the British government.
Apparently the Commonwealth Secretariat has been in touch with the Palace.
You mean Sonny Ramphal? I believe so.
Mrs Thatcher saw the Commonwealth as an unwelcome distraction.
It made no contribution to Britain's wealth, was stuck in the past.
And she did not appreciate its members telling her how to get rid of apartheid in South Africa.
Good evening, Prime Minister.
Good evening, Bill.
I have something for you.
I forgot to return it before leaving Balmoral.
Don't mention it, Prime Minister.
I hope it was of use.
Ever since Brighton, I always carry a torch with me.
The bomb at the Grand Hotel, dear.
I was in complete darkness for what seemed like hours before security helped me from the wreckage.
We strongly believe that sanctions will harm the very people in South Africa we're trying to help.
For example, if we stopped the import of South African fruit into Britain, it would cause terrible unemployment amongst the black population of South Africa.
My government prefers a policy of trying to persuade South Africa by other means.
The Queen's constitutional job is to be a kind of agony auntie to her Prime Ministers.
The Prime Ministers say, âMa'am, we've got this problem â Then she'll give some advice and everything.
Mrs Thatcher would tend, after a lot of florid bowing and scraping, would tell HER what to do.
This got on her nerves.
I always maintain that the best way to remove a man's coat is by gentle persuasion, rather than trying to wrestle the coat off his back.
I'm sure there'll be a lively discussion at the Commonwealth conference.
As always.
Thank you, ma'am.
Mrs Thatcher did enormous curtsies.
One of her advisers said she curtsied almost down to Australia.
So she was extremely respectful of the Queen.
I did rather well at the meeting today, Bill.
Really, ma'am'? Yes, I managed to get a word in edgeways.
Bravo, ma'am.
I think Queen Victoria had a very similar problem with Gladstone.
As head of the Commonwealth, the Queen's priority at the Nassau conference was to make sure that a lively debate over South Africa did not tum into a full-blown row.
Perhaps, given the circumstances, it might be better to end the speech with the line about preserving Commonwealth unity'? It must be difficult being in a minority of one.
I think Mrs Thatcher's probably used to it by now, ma'am.
It was quite clear that this was going to be a kind of showdown conference.
With 48 countries lined up against Britain, short of Mrs Thatcher performing her first U-tum, the Queen was facing the most humiliating and embarrassing Commonwealth conference of her reign.
Nassau, October 1985.
The Queen was hoping the Commonwealth would not be ripped apart by a row between Mrs Thatcher and the other heads of government.
But while she was making friends with the locals, Mrs Thatcher was flying in, ready to do battle.
I don't recall going into the Nassau Commonwealth Conference any differently than I went into every other Commonwealth conference, and that is, we knew what the game was.
The Commonwealth conference sought to turn the Prime Minister into serious sanctions against South Africa and we knew that the Prime Minister was not going to do that.
The Queen's hope for a peaceful settlement was dashed as soon as Mrs Thatcher gave her first interview.
I've no doubt it's going to take a considerable part of the conference but I hope we will settle it amicably.
Tempers seem to be running a bit high, though.
Well, mine isn't.
Mrs Thatcher felt that sanctions never work.
There's always somebody in line to bust them, usually your friends.
But what Mrs Thatcher also knew was that Britain would be hit harder than the other 48 Commonwealth countries.
At stake was an annual trade worth £2 billion, something she was not going to give away without a fight.
But the other 48 countries were passionate about ending apartheid and were not going to back down, either.
The Queen's only hope was if her old friends would compromise their principles for the sake of the Commonwealth.
Thank you, Julius.
She related to them and they believed that she related to them.
Tanzania will not be the same when he retires.
They, for their part, wouldn't let the Queen down.
I understand that Bob Hawke has extended the olive branch to Mrs Thatcher, who appears ready to compromise.
Miracles never cease to amaze one.
The Commonwealth did not let the Queen down.
They found a way of appeasing Mrs Thatcher - a delegation known as the Eminent Persons' Group would go to South Africa to persuade them to end apartheid.
The Queen had a united Commonwealth and Mrs Thatcher had got her own way.
You say you've kept the Commonwealth together by this agreement but after three days of such fierce argument, haven't you in fact split the Commonwealth? No, it has not.
It just has not.
You cannot have talked to them since we got the agreement.
Mrs Thatcher was very pleased that something other than sanctions or threats was the outcome of the conference.
The Queen was also happy.
The Eminent Persons' Group was on its way to end apartheid and the lid was back on her difficult relationship with Mrs Thatcher.
But her joy was short-lived.
Thank you, Bill.
What is it now'? South Africa have just bombed Zimbabwe and Botswana.
But I thought the Commonwealth Eminent Persons' Group were in talks with Botha.
They've just walked out of the talks.
By bombing the headquarters of the exiled ANC, the South African Government had sent a brutal message to the Queen.
No-one was going to tell them to end apartheid.
So what now'? I have no option but to recommend that the Commonwealth imposes widespread sanctions on South Africa.
But there was more bad news for the Queen.
Mrs Thatcher was going to ignore any Commonwealth demands for action against South Africa.
Once again, the Queen's political view was completely opposed to that of Mrs Thatcher, but this time, the stakes were much higher.
At least three people have died today in riots in South Africa.
Some witnesses say the violence is the most terrifying they've seen You people must get out now very quickly, OK'? There is a St George's island, isn't there? Yes, it's in the Commonwealth.
Mrs Thatcher! Any comments about South Africa'? Mrs Thatcher! Mrs Thatcher! Mrs Thatcher! The agenda for the Queen's audience.
British Gas, British Leyland and the BBC.
All in need of a good shake-up.
I was horrified at how much waste and inefficiency there is at the BBC.
My government wants to make sure the public gets value for its money.
Did you see the news on the BBC last night? No, ma'am.
We rarely get time to watch the television.
There was an excellent report on South Africa.
Perhaps someone could get you a tape.
The Foreign Office keeps me very well informed.
I was appalled at the violence.
The BBC does have a tendency to show violence for its own sake.
When there is anarchy on the streets, any government is forced to adopt harsh measures.
Clearly, the rule of the mob cannot be allowed to replace the rule of the law.
And the British government is still against imposing sanctions? Everyone wants a speedy end to apartheid.
But there's no point in trying to punish or isolate the country.
That will only make them harden their policies.
Some major countries are threatening to split from the Commonwealth over this.
I make it a point of principle never to pay attention to threats from leaders of undemocratic nations.
Why does she always say âwe" instead of âlâ? âWe are far too busy to watch television.
" Very good.
Very good.
You've nailed her.
One of the Queen's closest confidants was her press secretary Michael Shea.
Your Majesty.
Michael Shea.
He would be a key player in the gathering storm.
Good morning, ma'am.
How are you today'? I'm just trying to find a good book to read.
I've got into the habit of watching the news late at night before bed.
It's not really conducive to a good night's sleep.
I imagine the South African issue must be a worry for you.
I wonder if the Prime Minister lies awake worrying.
I'm sure she worries about winning a third term at the next election.
Yes, quite.
I don't suppose even Mrs Thatcher can afford to let herself become too unpopular.
No, ma'am.
Press secretaries cannot do their job unless they have constant contact with the Queen.
And Shea, yes, he didn't see her every day but he saw her very regularly.
You wanted to see me about something'? Yes, there's an article in the Today newspaper about the Princess of Wales being pregnant again.
I thought I'd just check first before issuing a denial.
Absolute nonsense.
Where do they get their stories'? There had been various rumours doing the rounds in Westminster that a rift was developing between the Queen and the Prime Minister, Thatcher, as it was at the time, particularly over South Africa.
Stephen Lynas.
Hello.
Hello, Stephen, it's Michael Shea here from the Palace After the Queen had failed to change the Prime Minister's mind, Michael Shea made an unprecedented call to the Today newspaper.
Thank you for the apology about Diana being pregnant.
Don't mention it.
Sorry we fouled up in the first place.
I have tomorrow's front page for you.
Why don't you come over to the Palace this afternoon'? Great.
Shall we say three o'clock? See you at three.
Very good.
Four days after publishing an apology about Diana, the Today's front page ran an exclusive about the Queen's conflict with Mrs Thatcher.
It was the first time the political views of a monarch had hit the front page of a newspaper.
What do we do about it'? I would ignore it, Prime Minister.
It's a bit of mischief making.
Where has it come from? There's no source.
It could have come from anywhere or anyone.
If they wanted to cause a stir, there would have tried a broadsheet.
I wouldn't give it a second thought.
Nobody reads newspapers on a Saturday, especially Today.
Why, isn't it doing very well? I can't see it lasting the year.
I could have written that story in the Sun and hopefully it would have been the splash story, so everyone would have had to sit up and take notice.
But it's kind of a notion the public have that if it's in the Times or the Telegraph, then it must be absolute fact.
If it's in a tabloid, there might be a shade of fact or a shade of error or a shade of untruth.
Unprecedented as it was, the Today article caused only a ripple of concern at Downing Street, as nobody could be sure it was a genuine leak from within the Palace.
But there was far worse to come.
Perhaps we should try and persuade Rupert Murdoch to buy the newspaper when we next meet him.
Don't want it falling into enemy hands, do we'? Powerless in the face of Margaret Thatcher, the Queen was forced to stand by and watch her beloved Commonwealth start to fall apart.
Are you serious about taking Zambia out of the Commonwealth altogether if Mrs Thatcher doesn't change her mind? The position is that I'm pretty serious about this.
Do you think he'll carry out his threat? Yes, I think he would.
Kenneth Kaunda has tears in his eyes when he talks about apartheid.
He'd gladly impose sanctions, whatever the cost.
It was a huge bomb, up to 100lb of explosive.
No organisation has claimed responsibility but a government spokesman said today that bombing corresponded with ANC policy.
This bomb was in a car and went off outside Terrorists! My God.
They say they're terrorists.
damaging another hotel, two blocks of flats and 39 cars.
Sorry.
Don't be silly.
I'll make you a cup of tea.
Mrs Thatcher certainly didn't see the apartheid regime in the way the Queen did.
She sees Mandela as a terrorist.
She sees the ANC as a terrorist organisation, as a guerrilla operation.
My husband was in bed and all the windows went.
Yes.
Yes.
You don't expect them to happen to you.
The other organisations which were like that were the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organisation in Israel, and the IRA in Ireland.
They all were three-letter words, if you like.
PLO, ANC and IRA.
And all of those were confronting us, the British authorities, with terrorism.
Where Thatcher saw terrorists, the Queen saw divisions that could be healed by diplomacy.
Of course, among all of Zimbabwe's sportsmen this morning there was disappointment that their country isn't going to Edinburgh but the decision won't come as a total surprise.
But now she faced her own nightmare.
The Commonwealth Games, more symbolic than a mere sporting event, were turning into a fiasco.
Zimbabwe, after all, has, with Zambia and Tanzania, long called for full economic sanctions against South Africa.
If one goes, they all go.
With less than a month to go before the opening of the Commonwealth Games, the Queen was facing a mass walkout.
What a bloody shambles.
The African abstention from Edinburgh was another indication that we were near the brink, that if the Games could break up, could the Commonwealth? Prime Minister.
What do you think about the threats of African countries leaving the Commonwealth? Look, it's their Commonwealth, their club.
If they want to break it up, that's up to them.
It's all down to that bloody grocer's daughter.
Now the Commonwealth was under threat, the Palace would find a new way to hit back against Mrs Thatcher.
BBC News at five o'clock.
Here are the headlines.
Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, India and Jamaica are to boycott the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
With just over a week before the Queen was due to host the Commonwealth Games, there was one last chance to stop the Prime Minister spoiling the party.
As I said before, ma'am, it is very difficult to tailor-make sanctions for white South Africa without hurting the black majority.
That is why the Cabinet has taken the unanimous decision not to impose sanctions in South Africa.
And what about British business interests? Of course the interests of the British public is paramount.
If sanctions were imposed, some British businesses would be forced to cut staff so we would be trading unemployment in Britain for black unemployment in South Africa.
The Cabinet believes that dialogue is the only way forward.
That is why Geoffrey Howe is going to visit South Africa and persuade Mr Botha to change his policies.
Is that not what the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group tried two months ago? Yes, but they failed.
Geoffrey is a senior member of the British Government and will be most effective.
I'm sure the rest of the world will be waiting with bated breath while Geoffrey Howe single-handedly tries to persuade the South African government to end 40 years of apartheid.
But before his summit with Mr Botha, Geoffrey Howe went on a mission to convert South Africa's neighbours to Mrs Thatcher's way of thinking.
Diplomacy, not sanctions, was the way to end apartheid.
It wouldn't antagonise South Africa and would cost everyone a lot less money.
It is very un-British of the British Prime Minister to behave the way she is doing now over sanctions.
But when it is white men suffering, you act.
When it is black men suffering, you hesitate.
President Kaunda in Zambia was very reluctant to see me at all, but he did have huge respect for the Queen and because I came representing her as well as everybody else he was prepared to receive me.
But Howe's diplomatic mission hit a brick waif when he met the President of South Africa.
Geoffrey Howe has returned from his tour of Africa, ma'am.
Really? How did he get on? President Kaunda accused Mrs Thatcher of kissing apartheid.
Apparently the only reason he didn't throw Howe out of the country was out of love for you, ma'am.
Then he visited South Africa where PW Botha told him the only reason he didn't kick him out of the country was out of his respect for Mrs Thatcher.
Poor man.
There are reports that Howe is now in favour of sanctions.
The bad news is that Mrs Thatcher is still not prepared to compromise on them.
She was met by a hail of abuse and edible missiles, eggs and tomatoes hurled by anti-apartheid demonstrators.
Unlike the anti-apartheid demonstrators, the Queen could not officially protest against Mrs Thatcher's policy towards South Africa.
But within the Palace, there were factions.
The discreet old guard who believed in keeping a lid on any differences and a new generation who believed in more openness.
Yes, Michael? I just wanted to discuss your attendance at the opening of the Commonwealth Games, ma'am.
You do know that 26 countries have now boycotted the Games? All of Africa.
Yes, ma'am.
If this strength of feeling against the British Government continues, I'm not sure there will be an opening to attend.
The Queen has a strict, constitutional view.
She responds instinctively to pressures that she feels may rock the boat, you know.
I think the Commonwealth was one of them.
Now that as many as 1,000 athletes and officials are not coming to the Games Village, there's a great feeling of disappointment here.
The Queen has no structural role, no functional role, no decision-making role.
Michael Shea thought he could help.
Shea was representative of a faction inside the Palace which took the view that that's what the Queen thought and people ought to know about it.
And when the call came, Michael Shea was so confident of the Queen's thinking that he didn't need her blessing to go public.
Michael Shea, hello? Michael, it's Simon Freeman at the Sunday Times.
Yes, Simon, how can I help you? Just wondered whether you had a few minutes to talk about the future of the monarchy and the Commonwealth.
One week before the opening of the Commonwealth Games, Simon Freeman, a political journalist at the Sunday Times, was asked to investigate whether the rumours of a rift between the Queen and Mrs Thatcher were true.
Michael Shea and I covered the usual bases, if you like.
What did the Queen think about the Commonwealth? How important was it'? You know.
And I'm sitting writing the answers.
Terrible business with Mrs Thatcher.
Mrs Thatcher? Yes.
Ghastly woman.
I thought he was going a little further than I thought he would in terms of criticising or in terms of saying how unhappy the royal family were, the Queen particularly, about the direction the country was moving in.
So there is a difference of opinion over the Commonwealth? Well, what do you think? After my conversation with Michael Shea, I may have called one or two other people and then off I went to have my sandwich in the canteen.
And there, in the canteen, was Andrew Morton.
And so I just suggested, why don't you ask him, what does the Queen think about the miners' strike, what does she think about the Libyan bombing and so on? And he went back to Michael and asked a few follow-up questions.
Not knowing the firestorm of abuse that would land on his head.
Would I be right in thinking that the Queen is disturbed by the lack of compassion in the Prime Minister's policies? You would be very right in thinking that, yes.
Simon Freeman was a desk away from me in the political department, ringing Shea and getting more and more excited at Shea's reactions.
And the miners' strike? The Queen was very concerned.
It was an enormous story.
Nothing had come out of the Palace like it in living memory.
It's a shame it has to go.
It's been here over 100 years.
Yes, Bill'? Sorry to interrupt, ma'am, we've just had word there's a Sunday Times article coming out tomorrow alleging a potential constitutional row between you and the Prime Minister.
Has Mrs Thatcher declared she would like to modernise the monarchy? No, ma'am, they are suggesting you are at odds with some of Mrs Thatcher's policies.
I see.
Have you spoken to Michael about it'? Yes, ma'am, the Prime Minister's office has been in touch.
They are choosing to ignore it.
Good.
Then we shall do the same.
I think that's wise.
It might also be worth phoning the Prime Minister just to reassure her.
Very well, then.
Thatcher? Yes, of course, I'll just get her.
It's the Queen! Good afternoon, ma'am, how can I help you? I've been informed about the article and I understand that you have, too.
Yes, ma'am, I heard about it this morning.
You need no assurances from me that the content is unsubstantiated.
No, of course, ma'am.
Unfortunately, a certain newspaper proprietor has a habit of printing what he likes.
I'm sure it will all be forgotten by Monday.
Let's hope so.
Well, I'm sure you're busy.
I'll let you get back to your weekend.
Thank you, ma'am.
Well? She was calling about tomorrow's Sunday Times.
She said there's nothing in it.
So what's wrong'? Why would the Queen be calling on a Saturday if there was nothing in it'? We knew this would damage Mrs Thatcher and we knew it would damage the Queen.
That was not my concern.
Our concern was only, is it true or not'? I suddenly thought to myself, hang on, this is turning into a big story.
'Cause I could see that Andrew was getting excited about it and it was going to be a front-page story.
I thought, well, it's not quite what I expected from my little feature.
So I think I rang Michael Shea twice.
And he seemed fine about it, there was no problem.
In fact, I remember thinking he didn't seem that interested.
Will you hold the line, please, one second? Michael, there's a bit of an uproar going on about an article in tomorrow's Sunday Times.
Have you spoken to any of the journalists there recently? Yes.
Simon Freeman.
He asked my advice about a piece on the future of the monarchy.
It should be very good.
A credit to the Queen.
Excuse me, please.
Yes, yes, of course.
We never realised that we were actually on the brink of the biggest constitutional crisis for the Queen in her reign.
On 20th July, 1986, the lid finally blew off the relationship between the Queen and Mrs Thatcher.
The Queen's political views had been largely a secret for the several decades that she had reigned.
It said the Queen was not just a countryside-loving grandmother but an astute political in-fighter who was prepared to take on Downing Street if provoked.
It also claimed that the Queen believed the Thatcher government showed a lack of compassion towards the under-privileged.
That the miners' strike had tom apart the country's social fabric and that Mrs Thatcher's policies had created a divided society.
The furious reaction was not just what it said but the sheer audacity of saying it.
And this time everyone knew the information came from someone inside the Palace.
A source close to the Queen.
The idea that Palace courtiers were now briefing that on a number of major issues, from the raid on Libya to the miners' strike, to the attitude to apartheid South Africa, that there was a large and growing gulf between Buckingham Palace and Downing Street was a story of huge constitutional importance.
The man who of course knows the identity of the mole talked for the first time Do you have any clues? No, it could be anyone.
No-one will ever get me to reveal a source's name or sources' names - full stop.
The papers specifically said âsources close to the Queen There are hundreds of people who think they're close to me.
You don't think it's Charles, do you? Don't be ridiculous, Philip.
I wouldn't put it past the boy.
Mr Andrew Neil, editor of the Sunday Times, announced that he would make further disclosures if the Palace didn't retract their statement saying his story was unfounded.
You're not bothered by all this, are you? It's all right for the Queen.
She doesn't have an election to fight.
It will probably turn out to be a fake.
Don't forget it was the Sunday Times that wanted to publish the Hitler diaries.
Shame they were a fake.
Would have been a jolly good read.
Mrs Thatcher was dismayed by the story.
She told one of her confidantes, who later passed it on to me, it had taken nine points off her in the opinion polls.
She knew she was going to fight the miners.
She knew she was going to have to fight Labour.
It never crossed her mind she would also have a fight with the royal family.
The Queen now had a full-blown constitutional crisis on her hands.
Bill, could you come and see me in the audience room? And bring Michael, too.
Although what the Queen said at the time was probably more popular with the country as a whole than the policies of Mrs Thatcher at the time, the country would soon have turned on any monarch who thought she could interfere with the politics of the country.
Unelected hereditary monarchs in the 20th century were not meant to do that.
I need to know if you are the source of the Sunday Times article.
Absolutely not.
No.
That information must have come from someone else.
When I read the article and I saw the quotes, it was blindingly obvious it was Michael Shea.
All the expressions, all the phrases I had heard from Shea's mouth over the last three or four weeks.
The press seem more interested in the so-called Palace mole than the contents of the article.
I'm sure the press will soon get bored, ma'am.
I'm not prepared to run that risk.
I want a denial issued.
We can draft one immediately.
I suggest that you send it to the Times.
Good.
I want it sent after Andrew's wedding.
Yes, of course, ma'am.
You have to go back to Queen Victoria writing a letter to the editor of the Times saying that she wasn't coming out of seclusion in the 19th century to have a comparable response.
I will write the draft.
If you could check it over for any inaccuracies.
Yes, of course.
The letter appeared in the Times, seeking to rubbish the story on what appeared to me to be false grounds.
It was then that we were in open, public confrontation with the Palace.
But back at Clarence House, the moment the crowds were waiting for, a first sight of the royal bride in the gleaming glass coach.
The Queen went to Andrew's wedding confident that a letter to the Times would bring an end to the matter.
But Mrs Thatcher was still curious as to the identity of the mole.
The following day, the Queen was opening the ninth Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh which, thanks to Mrs Thatcher, had the lowest number of competing countries of her reign.
As the Queen was settling down to enjoy the spectacle, Mrs Thatcher was well on her way to finding out the identity of the Palace mole.
It can't be William Haseltine and it's not one of the family.
If I were a gambling woman, I'd put my money on Michael Shea.
Then you'd be a wealthy woman.
Thank you, dear.
Safe in the knowledge that the Sunday Times affair was closed, the Queen's attention turned to entertaining Mrs Thatcher at her residence in Edinburgh.
I hope that Sunday Times article hasn't caused you too much distress.
Not at all, ma'am.
I'm just sorry that you'd been terribly let down.
Let down? Yes, apparently, the source of the article is very close to you.
You surprise me, Prime Minister.
I can hardly believe that you would be so interested in recent press speculation.
I became interested when I heard that the source was your press secretary, ma'am.
Are you quite sure about that'? Yes, ma'am.
I understand that Observer will be naming him tomorrow.
I think we need to make quite sure that it never happens again.
One week after the Sunday Times revelations, Michael Shea found himself named by the Observer as the Palace mole and then he found himself sharing breakfast with Mrs Thatcher.
Good morning, Michael.
Good morning, Prime Minister.
I'm really terribly sorry about the piece in the Sunday Times.
Forget about it, dear.
I think it's the Queen to whom you should be apologising.
She's the one who will suffer the most.
They completely misinterpreted me.
Bill has sent a strongly worded letter of complaint to the Times.
My father always likened the press to Pandora's box.
Once it's open, it's impossible to close.
The home athletes put on a show fit for a queen, Roger Black, a 19-year-old student from Portsmouth, causing the first major upset on the track in the 400 metres.
I backed you to the hilt.
You even helped me write the denial to the Times.
You have humiliated me.
I can't sack you, but I think under the circumstances, it'd be best if you left the job.
I'm to go where? I'm sure I can find you something.
At long last, the 25-year-old English woman had fulfilled her promise Thanks to the African boycott, for the first time in 20 years, England came top of the medals table.
But once the leaders of the African nations realised that the Queen was in opposition to Mrs Thatcher, they had second thoughts about leaving the Commonwealth.
I think it helped to keep the Commonwealth together, it did the Commonwealth a favour.
But the Queen got dragged into politics, and it had the seeds of the destruction of the monarchy within it if it had carried on.
No monarch can get involved in politics, particularly party politics, if it wants to survive and stay as head of state above the political fray.
One of the few justifications for a hereditary monarch is that you've chosen a family that you put above the political fray and the head of state is separate from the politics of the day.
At the end of the summer, Mrs Thatcher shifted her position, but it was only a minor U-tum.
She accepted the nominal sanctions against South Africa which were being proposed by the European community, but she still refused to impose the Commonwealth's full, comprehensive sanctions that the Queen had so ardently hoped for.
Remarkable what can be conjured up in the middle of nowhere.
I understand you've recently purchased a retirement home.
Yes, in Dulwich.
Margaret wanted to go to Oxford, but Dulwich is very pleasant and close to the centre of London.
Dulwich.
That's near Peckham, isn't it'? I just hope we didn't buy the house too prematurely.
As I say to my Cabinet colleagues, the unexpected always happens.
I'm sure that's true of politics.
I always think it must be a comfort for the public to know that the monarch is always there even though politicians may come and go.
It must be a comfort to the British public to know that, unlike several Commonwealth countries, they can elect their head of government.
And of course the public knows that my policies will continue long after I've left office.
Could I have a drop more wine, please, dear?
Both were about to tum 60, but neither were looking to retire.
It says here in this interview that you plan to go on and on.
I said it because some MPs had been suggesting I stand down before the next election.
Pym and the other wets, no doubt.
Are you all right? I left my torch at home.
I'm sure someone can find you another.
Try not to be so anxious this time.
Think of it as a holiday.
My father always said that holidays were for the rich and idle.
For six years, the two most powerful women in Britain had kept the lid on their personal differences.
Why does she always say âwe" instead of âlâ? âWe are far too busy to watch television.
" But it wouldn't be the miners' strike or inner-city riots that would force the conflict out into the open.
I was appalled at the violence.
The rule of the mob cannot be allowed to replace the rule of the law.
The extraordinary battle between the two women would finally boil over because of a seemingly obscure issue, but one the Queen felt more passionate about than anything else.
It's their Commonwealth, their club.
If they want to break it up, that's up to them.
Terrible business with Mrs Thatcher, ghastly woman.
We were actually on the brink of the biggest constitutional crisis for the Queen in her reign.
Bill, could you come and see me in the audience room? As the clock ticked down to the 1986 Commonwealth Games, events would set the two women head to head in a conflict only one could win.
It's all down to that bloody grocer's daughter.
Good afternoon, ma'am.
Good afternoon, Bill.
Has the Prime Minister settled in'? Yes, ma'am.
I have offered to show her round the gardens, but she said she had some Cabinet papers to read.
Are you planning on going underground? It's for Mrs Thatcher.
Apparently she's scared of the dark.
Good gracious.
And they were absolutely worlds apart.
So what do you make of this North-South divide, Mrs Thatcher? I'm not sure I follow you, ma'am.
It's what they mentioned to me on my visit to the north-east.
Apparently, there are far fewer job opportunities compared to the south.
Unfortunately, the north-east is taking time to adapt.
Adapt'? Adapt to what? The older, traditional industries have struggled to keep up with the rest of the world.
But new companies like Nissan cars are moving there soon, so the area will be rejuvenated.
Mrs Thatcher was, as snobs have said, terribly suburban.
Whereas the Queen spent as much of her life as possible in the country.
Never happier than up to her knees in dung and that sort of thing.
Mrs Thatcher was not like that.
How's your son, Mr Thatcher? Still involved in the motor trade? Not any more.
He finds it hard to settle on one thing.
The something for nothing generation - want miracles without putting in the work.
Mark works hard, he just has an unending capacity to make a complete balls-up of everything.
He should get together with Charles.
I think we should head back.
But we're nearly at the top.
I don't think Mrs Thatcher is able to go any further.
Margaret Thatcher became leader of the Conservative Party because sex was her secret weapon.
Not that she seduced anyone, but because when she first stood, nobody took her chance seriously.
âShe's a woman, so she's not going to make it.
" And the fact that she did make it was because people hadn't acknowledged that factor.
The problem really with her relationship with Mrs Thatcher was they were so unalike, apart from their gender.
When I was 21, I pledged my life to the service of our people.
And I asked for God's help to make good that vow.
I do not regret nor retract one word of it.
She was given this role to do, she didn't choose it.
God, as it were, elected her to do it and she was going to do it to the best of her ability.
Her Majesty the Queen has asked me to form a new administration.
Where there is discord, may we bring harmony Margaret Thatcher was blessed with a firm conviction which meant that she didn't change her mind, didn't faff around, flop from one thing to the other.
Rejoice at that news and congratulate our forces and the Marines.
After the Falklands War, Mrs Thatcher won a second term with a landslide majority.
She was now the most popular and powerful post-war Prime Minister with a mandate to drag Britain into the next century.
Margaret Thatcher was a very driven person.
She was the first member of her sex to be Prime Minister and she came into the country when huge changes were necessary and she was determined to make them.
I can well understand the Queen feeling, âOh, my goodness, is the country going to tear itself apart?" Six years into Mrs Thatcher's reign and the Queen saw her kingdom divided.
Record unemployment and the miners' strike were soon followed by inner-city riots.
The Queen stood for stability, the complete opposite to Mrs Thatcher's revolution.
She really got quite upset by what she saw as the brutalities of Thatcherism, and was quite worried that Mrs Thatcher was actually beginning to destroy the fabric of the nation.
But what finally caused the differences between the Queen and Mrs Thatcher to boil over was not the division and discord at home, but events far, far away in Africa.
The South African government have tonight declared a state of emergency I wish to give the assurance that strict action will be taken against those persons and institutions that cause or propagate disruption.
I've always felt a strong connection with South Africa.
Probably because of that marriage vow you made when you were there in '47.
It's mean of you to call it that.
Well, you did devote your entire life to the service of the Commonwealth.
I meant it, too.
I can't remember ever being so moved by a speech.
It made me cry.
I declare before you all that my whole life shall be devoted to the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.
By the time Elizabeth was crowned Queen, she was no longer ruler of a great imperial family, but head of the Commonwealth, a group of 49 nations connected by history and tradition.
The Queen still saw them as a family, one she would protect for the rest of her life.
But by 1985, apartheid South Africa had long since left the Commonwealth.
The black majority had been stripped of their basic human rights and Nelson Mandela had been imprisoned for life.
a vivid reminder of the personal cost of the ongoing violence.
I like to think that one day I'll return.
I wouldn't hold out your hopes.
I can't see South Africa being in a rush to rejoin the Commonwealth.
Nothing lasts forever.
The Queen has, throughout the whole of her reign, been an enormous supporter of the Commonwealth.
Mrs Thatcher was more suspicious of its value.
I have spoken to the Palace.
The Queen would still like to go ahead with the weekly audience this evening.
The Queen is keen to discuss the agenda for the Commonwealth conference before leaving for Nassau.
The agenda? But I'll be meeting with her at the conference.
Prime Minister, they were rather insistent.
I take it she's aware of our position? There is a letter from the Secretary General with a list of suggested economic sanctions for South Africa.
Ah, I see coal is on there.
Did you know Britain imported coal from South Africa during the miners' strike? No, ma'am, I did not.
And ALL the Commonwealth heads of government are in favour of sanctions'? All except the head of the British government.
Apparently the Commonwealth Secretariat has been in touch with the Palace.
You mean Sonny Ramphal? I believe so.
Mrs Thatcher saw the Commonwealth as an unwelcome distraction.
It made no contribution to Britain's wealth, was stuck in the past.
And she did not appreciate its members telling her how to get rid of apartheid in South Africa.
Good evening, Prime Minister.
Good evening, Bill.
I have something for you.
I forgot to return it before leaving Balmoral.
Don't mention it, Prime Minister.
I hope it was of use.
Ever since Brighton, I always carry a torch with me.
The bomb at the Grand Hotel, dear.
I was in complete darkness for what seemed like hours before security helped me from the wreckage.
We strongly believe that sanctions will harm the very people in South Africa we're trying to help.
For example, if we stopped the import of South African fruit into Britain, it would cause terrible unemployment amongst the black population of South Africa.
My government prefers a policy of trying to persuade South Africa by other means.
The Queen's constitutional job is to be a kind of agony auntie to her Prime Ministers.
The Prime Ministers say, âMa'am, we've got this problem â Then she'll give some advice and everything.
Mrs Thatcher would tend, after a lot of florid bowing and scraping, would tell HER what to do.
This got on her nerves.
I always maintain that the best way to remove a man's coat is by gentle persuasion, rather than trying to wrestle the coat off his back.
I'm sure there'll be a lively discussion at the Commonwealth conference.
As always.
Thank you, ma'am.
Mrs Thatcher did enormous curtsies.
One of her advisers said she curtsied almost down to Australia.
So she was extremely respectful of the Queen.
I did rather well at the meeting today, Bill.
Really, ma'am'? Yes, I managed to get a word in edgeways.
Bravo, ma'am.
I think Queen Victoria had a very similar problem with Gladstone.
As head of the Commonwealth, the Queen's priority at the Nassau conference was to make sure that a lively debate over South Africa did not tum into a full-blown row.
Perhaps, given the circumstances, it might be better to end the speech with the line about preserving Commonwealth unity'? It must be difficult being in a minority of one.
I think Mrs Thatcher's probably used to it by now, ma'am.
It was quite clear that this was going to be a kind of showdown conference.
With 48 countries lined up against Britain, short of Mrs Thatcher performing her first U-tum, the Queen was facing the most humiliating and embarrassing Commonwealth conference of her reign.
Nassau, October 1985.
The Queen was hoping the Commonwealth would not be ripped apart by a row between Mrs Thatcher and the other heads of government.
But while she was making friends with the locals, Mrs Thatcher was flying in, ready to do battle.
I don't recall going into the Nassau Commonwealth Conference any differently than I went into every other Commonwealth conference, and that is, we knew what the game was.
The Commonwealth conference sought to turn the Prime Minister into serious sanctions against South Africa and we knew that the Prime Minister was not going to do that.
The Queen's hope for a peaceful settlement was dashed as soon as Mrs Thatcher gave her first interview.
I've no doubt it's going to take a considerable part of the conference but I hope we will settle it amicably.
Tempers seem to be running a bit high, though.
Well, mine isn't.
Mrs Thatcher felt that sanctions never work.
There's always somebody in line to bust them, usually your friends.
But what Mrs Thatcher also knew was that Britain would be hit harder than the other 48 Commonwealth countries.
At stake was an annual trade worth £2 billion, something she was not going to give away without a fight.
But the other 48 countries were passionate about ending apartheid and were not going to back down, either.
The Queen's only hope was if her old friends would compromise their principles for the sake of the Commonwealth.
Thank you, Julius.
She related to them and they believed that she related to them.
Tanzania will not be the same when he retires.
They, for their part, wouldn't let the Queen down.
I understand that Bob Hawke has extended the olive branch to Mrs Thatcher, who appears ready to compromise.
Miracles never cease to amaze one.
The Commonwealth did not let the Queen down.
They found a way of appeasing Mrs Thatcher - a delegation known as the Eminent Persons' Group would go to South Africa to persuade them to end apartheid.
The Queen had a united Commonwealth and Mrs Thatcher had got her own way.
You say you've kept the Commonwealth together by this agreement but after three days of such fierce argument, haven't you in fact split the Commonwealth? No, it has not.
It just has not.
You cannot have talked to them since we got the agreement.
Mrs Thatcher was very pleased that something other than sanctions or threats was the outcome of the conference.
The Queen was also happy.
The Eminent Persons' Group was on its way to end apartheid and the lid was back on her difficult relationship with Mrs Thatcher.
But her joy was short-lived.
Thank you, Bill.
What is it now'? South Africa have just bombed Zimbabwe and Botswana.
But I thought the Commonwealth Eminent Persons' Group were in talks with Botha.
They've just walked out of the talks.
By bombing the headquarters of the exiled ANC, the South African Government had sent a brutal message to the Queen.
No-one was going to tell them to end apartheid.
So what now'? I have no option but to recommend that the Commonwealth imposes widespread sanctions on South Africa.
But there was more bad news for the Queen.
Mrs Thatcher was going to ignore any Commonwealth demands for action against South Africa.
Once again, the Queen's political view was completely opposed to that of Mrs Thatcher, but this time, the stakes were much higher.
At least three people have died today in riots in South Africa.
Some witnesses say the violence is the most terrifying they've seen You people must get out now very quickly, OK'? There is a St George's island, isn't there? Yes, it's in the Commonwealth.
Mrs Thatcher! Any comments about South Africa'? Mrs Thatcher! Mrs Thatcher! Mrs Thatcher! The agenda for the Queen's audience.
British Gas, British Leyland and the BBC.
All in need of a good shake-up.
I was horrified at how much waste and inefficiency there is at the BBC.
My government wants to make sure the public gets value for its money.
Did you see the news on the BBC last night? No, ma'am.
We rarely get time to watch the television.
There was an excellent report on South Africa.
Perhaps someone could get you a tape.
The Foreign Office keeps me very well informed.
I was appalled at the violence.
The BBC does have a tendency to show violence for its own sake.
When there is anarchy on the streets, any government is forced to adopt harsh measures.
Clearly, the rule of the mob cannot be allowed to replace the rule of the law.
And the British government is still against imposing sanctions? Everyone wants a speedy end to apartheid.
But there's no point in trying to punish or isolate the country.
That will only make them harden their policies.
Some major countries are threatening to split from the Commonwealth over this.
I make it a point of principle never to pay attention to threats from leaders of undemocratic nations.
Why does she always say âwe" instead of âlâ? âWe are far too busy to watch television.
" Very good.
Very good.
You've nailed her.
One of the Queen's closest confidants was her press secretary Michael Shea.
Your Majesty.
Michael Shea.
He would be a key player in the gathering storm.
Good morning, ma'am.
How are you today'? I'm just trying to find a good book to read.
I've got into the habit of watching the news late at night before bed.
It's not really conducive to a good night's sleep.
I imagine the South African issue must be a worry for you.
I wonder if the Prime Minister lies awake worrying.
I'm sure she worries about winning a third term at the next election.
Yes, quite.
I don't suppose even Mrs Thatcher can afford to let herself become too unpopular.
No, ma'am.
Press secretaries cannot do their job unless they have constant contact with the Queen.
And Shea, yes, he didn't see her every day but he saw her very regularly.
You wanted to see me about something'? Yes, there's an article in the Today newspaper about the Princess of Wales being pregnant again.
I thought I'd just check first before issuing a denial.
Absolute nonsense.
Where do they get their stories'? There had been various rumours doing the rounds in Westminster that a rift was developing between the Queen and the Prime Minister, Thatcher, as it was at the time, particularly over South Africa.
Stephen Lynas.
Hello.
Hello, Stephen, it's Michael Shea here from the Palace After the Queen had failed to change the Prime Minister's mind, Michael Shea made an unprecedented call to the Today newspaper.
Thank you for the apology about Diana being pregnant.
Don't mention it.
Sorry we fouled up in the first place.
I have tomorrow's front page for you.
Why don't you come over to the Palace this afternoon'? Great.
Shall we say three o'clock? See you at three.
Very good.
Four days after publishing an apology about Diana, the Today's front page ran an exclusive about the Queen's conflict with Mrs Thatcher.
It was the first time the political views of a monarch had hit the front page of a newspaper.
What do we do about it'? I would ignore it, Prime Minister.
It's a bit of mischief making.
Where has it come from? There's no source.
It could have come from anywhere or anyone.
If they wanted to cause a stir, there would have tried a broadsheet.
I wouldn't give it a second thought.
Nobody reads newspapers on a Saturday, especially Today.
Why, isn't it doing very well? I can't see it lasting the year.
I could have written that story in the Sun and hopefully it would have been the splash story, so everyone would have had to sit up and take notice.
But it's kind of a notion the public have that if it's in the Times or the Telegraph, then it must be absolute fact.
If it's in a tabloid, there might be a shade of fact or a shade of error or a shade of untruth.
Unprecedented as it was, the Today article caused only a ripple of concern at Downing Street, as nobody could be sure it was a genuine leak from within the Palace.
But there was far worse to come.
Perhaps we should try and persuade Rupert Murdoch to buy the newspaper when we next meet him.
Don't want it falling into enemy hands, do we'? Powerless in the face of Margaret Thatcher, the Queen was forced to stand by and watch her beloved Commonwealth start to fall apart.
Are you serious about taking Zambia out of the Commonwealth altogether if Mrs Thatcher doesn't change her mind? The position is that I'm pretty serious about this.
Do you think he'll carry out his threat? Yes, I think he would.
Kenneth Kaunda has tears in his eyes when he talks about apartheid.
He'd gladly impose sanctions, whatever the cost.
It was a huge bomb, up to 100lb of explosive.
No organisation has claimed responsibility but a government spokesman said today that bombing corresponded with ANC policy.
This bomb was in a car and went off outside Terrorists! My God.
They say they're terrorists.
damaging another hotel, two blocks of flats and 39 cars.
Sorry.
Don't be silly.
I'll make you a cup of tea.
Mrs Thatcher certainly didn't see the apartheid regime in the way the Queen did.
She sees Mandela as a terrorist.
She sees the ANC as a terrorist organisation, as a guerrilla operation.
My husband was in bed and all the windows went.
Yes.
Yes.
You don't expect them to happen to you.
The other organisations which were like that were the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organisation in Israel, and the IRA in Ireland.
They all were three-letter words, if you like.
PLO, ANC and IRA.
And all of those were confronting us, the British authorities, with terrorism.
Where Thatcher saw terrorists, the Queen saw divisions that could be healed by diplomacy.
Of course, among all of Zimbabwe's sportsmen this morning there was disappointment that their country isn't going to Edinburgh but the decision won't come as a total surprise.
But now she faced her own nightmare.
The Commonwealth Games, more symbolic than a mere sporting event, were turning into a fiasco.
Zimbabwe, after all, has, with Zambia and Tanzania, long called for full economic sanctions against South Africa.
If one goes, they all go.
With less than a month to go before the opening of the Commonwealth Games, the Queen was facing a mass walkout.
What a bloody shambles.
The African abstention from Edinburgh was another indication that we were near the brink, that if the Games could break up, could the Commonwealth? Prime Minister.
What do you think about the threats of African countries leaving the Commonwealth? Look, it's their Commonwealth, their club.
If they want to break it up, that's up to them.
It's all down to that bloody grocer's daughter.
Now the Commonwealth was under threat, the Palace would find a new way to hit back against Mrs Thatcher.
BBC News at five o'clock.
Here are the headlines.
Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, India and Jamaica are to boycott the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
With just over a week before the Queen was due to host the Commonwealth Games, there was one last chance to stop the Prime Minister spoiling the party.
As I said before, ma'am, it is very difficult to tailor-make sanctions for white South Africa without hurting the black majority.
That is why the Cabinet has taken the unanimous decision not to impose sanctions in South Africa.
And what about British business interests? Of course the interests of the British public is paramount.
If sanctions were imposed, some British businesses would be forced to cut staff so we would be trading unemployment in Britain for black unemployment in South Africa.
The Cabinet believes that dialogue is the only way forward.
That is why Geoffrey Howe is going to visit South Africa and persuade Mr Botha to change his policies.
Is that not what the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group tried two months ago? Yes, but they failed.
Geoffrey is a senior member of the British Government and will be most effective.
I'm sure the rest of the world will be waiting with bated breath while Geoffrey Howe single-handedly tries to persuade the South African government to end 40 years of apartheid.
But before his summit with Mr Botha, Geoffrey Howe went on a mission to convert South Africa's neighbours to Mrs Thatcher's way of thinking.
Diplomacy, not sanctions, was the way to end apartheid.
It wouldn't antagonise South Africa and would cost everyone a lot less money.
It is very un-British of the British Prime Minister to behave the way she is doing now over sanctions.
But when it is white men suffering, you act.
When it is black men suffering, you hesitate.
President Kaunda in Zambia was very reluctant to see me at all, but he did have huge respect for the Queen and because I came representing her as well as everybody else he was prepared to receive me.
But Howe's diplomatic mission hit a brick waif when he met the President of South Africa.
Geoffrey Howe has returned from his tour of Africa, ma'am.
Really? How did he get on? President Kaunda accused Mrs Thatcher of kissing apartheid.
Apparently the only reason he didn't throw Howe out of the country was out of love for you, ma'am.
Then he visited South Africa where PW Botha told him the only reason he didn't kick him out of the country was out of his respect for Mrs Thatcher.
Poor man.
There are reports that Howe is now in favour of sanctions.
The bad news is that Mrs Thatcher is still not prepared to compromise on them.
She was met by a hail of abuse and edible missiles, eggs and tomatoes hurled by anti-apartheid demonstrators.
Unlike the anti-apartheid demonstrators, the Queen could not officially protest against Mrs Thatcher's policy towards South Africa.
But within the Palace, there were factions.
The discreet old guard who believed in keeping a lid on any differences and a new generation who believed in more openness.
Yes, Michael? I just wanted to discuss your attendance at the opening of the Commonwealth Games, ma'am.
You do know that 26 countries have now boycotted the Games? All of Africa.
Yes, ma'am.
If this strength of feeling against the British Government continues, I'm not sure there will be an opening to attend.
The Queen has a strict, constitutional view.
She responds instinctively to pressures that she feels may rock the boat, you know.
I think the Commonwealth was one of them.
Now that as many as 1,000 athletes and officials are not coming to the Games Village, there's a great feeling of disappointment here.
The Queen has no structural role, no functional role, no decision-making role.
Michael Shea thought he could help.
Shea was representative of a faction inside the Palace which took the view that that's what the Queen thought and people ought to know about it.
And when the call came, Michael Shea was so confident of the Queen's thinking that he didn't need her blessing to go public.
Michael Shea, hello? Michael, it's Simon Freeman at the Sunday Times.
Yes, Simon, how can I help you? Just wondered whether you had a few minutes to talk about the future of the monarchy and the Commonwealth.
One week before the opening of the Commonwealth Games, Simon Freeman, a political journalist at the Sunday Times, was asked to investigate whether the rumours of a rift between the Queen and Mrs Thatcher were true.
Michael Shea and I covered the usual bases, if you like.
What did the Queen think about the Commonwealth? How important was it'? You know.
And I'm sitting writing the answers.
Terrible business with Mrs Thatcher.
Mrs Thatcher? Yes.
Ghastly woman.
I thought he was going a little further than I thought he would in terms of criticising or in terms of saying how unhappy the royal family were, the Queen particularly, about the direction the country was moving in.
So there is a difference of opinion over the Commonwealth? Well, what do you think? After my conversation with Michael Shea, I may have called one or two other people and then off I went to have my sandwich in the canteen.
And there, in the canteen, was Andrew Morton.
And so I just suggested, why don't you ask him, what does the Queen think about the miners' strike, what does she think about the Libyan bombing and so on? And he went back to Michael and asked a few follow-up questions.
Not knowing the firestorm of abuse that would land on his head.
Would I be right in thinking that the Queen is disturbed by the lack of compassion in the Prime Minister's policies? You would be very right in thinking that, yes.
Simon Freeman was a desk away from me in the political department, ringing Shea and getting more and more excited at Shea's reactions.
And the miners' strike? The Queen was very concerned.
It was an enormous story.
Nothing had come out of the Palace like it in living memory.
It's a shame it has to go.
It's been here over 100 years.
Yes, Bill'? Sorry to interrupt, ma'am, we've just had word there's a Sunday Times article coming out tomorrow alleging a potential constitutional row between you and the Prime Minister.
Has Mrs Thatcher declared she would like to modernise the monarchy? No, ma'am, they are suggesting you are at odds with some of Mrs Thatcher's policies.
I see.
Have you spoken to Michael about it'? Yes, ma'am, the Prime Minister's office has been in touch.
They are choosing to ignore it.
Good.
Then we shall do the same.
I think that's wise.
It might also be worth phoning the Prime Minister just to reassure her.
Very well, then.
Thatcher? Yes, of course, I'll just get her.
It's the Queen! Good afternoon, ma'am, how can I help you? I've been informed about the article and I understand that you have, too.
Yes, ma'am, I heard about it this morning.
You need no assurances from me that the content is unsubstantiated.
No, of course, ma'am.
Unfortunately, a certain newspaper proprietor has a habit of printing what he likes.
I'm sure it will all be forgotten by Monday.
Let's hope so.
Well, I'm sure you're busy.
I'll let you get back to your weekend.
Thank you, ma'am.
Well? She was calling about tomorrow's Sunday Times.
She said there's nothing in it.
So what's wrong'? Why would the Queen be calling on a Saturday if there was nothing in it'? We knew this would damage Mrs Thatcher and we knew it would damage the Queen.
That was not my concern.
Our concern was only, is it true or not'? I suddenly thought to myself, hang on, this is turning into a big story.
'Cause I could see that Andrew was getting excited about it and it was going to be a front-page story.
I thought, well, it's not quite what I expected from my little feature.
So I think I rang Michael Shea twice.
And he seemed fine about it, there was no problem.
In fact, I remember thinking he didn't seem that interested.
Will you hold the line, please, one second? Michael, there's a bit of an uproar going on about an article in tomorrow's Sunday Times.
Have you spoken to any of the journalists there recently? Yes.
Simon Freeman.
He asked my advice about a piece on the future of the monarchy.
It should be very good.
A credit to the Queen.
Excuse me, please.
Yes, yes, of course.
We never realised that we were actually on the brink of the biggest constitutional crisis for the Queen in her reign.
On 20th July, 1986, the lid finally blew off the relationship between the Queen and Mrs Thatcher.
The Queen's political views had been largely a secret for the several decades that she had reigned.
It said the Queen was not just a countryside-loving grandmother but an astute political in-fighter who was prepared to take on Downing Street if provoked.
It also claimed that the Queen believed the Thatcher government showed a lack of compassion towards the under-privileged.
That the miners' strike had tom apart the country's social fabric and that Mrs Thatcher's policies had created a divided society.
The furious reaction was not just what it said but the sheer audacity of saying it.
And this time everyone knew the information came from someone inside the Palace.
A source close to the Queen.
The idea that Palace courtiers were now briefing that on a number of major issues, from the raid on Libya to the miners' strike, to the attitude to apartheid South Africa, that there was a large and growing gulf between Buckingham Palace and Downing Street was a story of huge constitutional importance.
The man who of course knows the identity of the mole talked for the first time Do you have any clues? No, it could be anyone.
No-one will ever get me to reveal a source's name or sources' names - full stop.
The papers specifically said âsources close to the Queen There are hundreds of people who think they're close to me.
You don't think it's Charles, do you? Don't be ridiculous, Philip.
I wouldn't put it past the boy.
Mr Andrew Neil, editor of the Sunday Times, announced that he would make further disclosures if the Palace didn't retract their statement saying his story was unfounded.
You're not bothered by all this, are you? It's all right for the Queen.
She doesn't have an election to fight.
It will probably turn out to be a fake.
Don't forget it was the Sunday Times that wanted to publish the Hitler diaries.
Shame they were a fake.
Would have been a jolly good read.
Mrs Thatcher was dismayed by the story.
She told one of her confidantes, who later passed it on to me, it had taken nine points off her in the opinion polls.
She knew she was going to fight the miners.
She knew she was going to have to fight Labour.
It never crossed her mind she would also have a fight with the royal family.
The Queen now had a full-blown constitutional crisis on her hands.
Bill, could you come and see me in the audience room? And bring Michael, too.
Although what the Queen said at the time was probably more popular with the country as a whole than the policies of Mrs Thatcher at the time, the country would soon have turned on any monarch who thought she could interfere with the politics of the country.
Unelected hereditary monarchs in the 20th century were not meant to do that.
I need to know if you are the source of the Sunday Times article.
Absolutely not.
No.
That information must have come from someone else.
When I read the article and I saw the quotes, it was blindingly obvious it was Michael Shea.
All the expressions, all the phrases I had heard from Shea's mouth over the last three or four weeks.
The press seem more interested in the so-called Palace mole than the contents of the article.
I'm sure the press will soon get bored, ma'am.
I'm not prepared to run that risk.
I want a denial issued.
We can draft one immediately.
I suggest that you send it to the Times.
Good.
I want it sent after Andrew's wedding.
Yes, of course, ma'am.
You have to go back to Queen Victoria writing a letter to the editor of the Times saying that she wasn't coming out of seclusion in the 19th century to have a comparable response.
I will write the draft.
If you could check it over for any inaccuracies.
Yes, of course.
The letter appeared in the Times, seeking to rubbish the story on what appeared to me to be false grounds.
It was then that we were in open, public confrontation with the Palace.
But back at Clarence House, the moment the crowds were waiting for, a first sight of the royal bride in the gleaming glass coach.
The Queen went to Andrew's wedding confident that a letter to the Times would bring an end to the matter.
But Mrs Thatcher was still curious as to the identity of the mole.
The following day, the Queen was opening the ninth Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh which, thanks to Mrs Thatcher, had the lowest number of competing countries of her reign.
As the Queen was settling down to enjoy the spectacle, Mrs Thatcher was well on her way to finding out the identity of the Palace mole.
It can't be William Haseltine and it's not one of the family.
If I were a gambling woman, I'd put my money on Michael Shea.
Then you'd be a wealthy woman.
Thank you, dear.
Safe in the knowledge that the Sunday Times affair was closed, the Queen's attention turned to entertaining Mrs Thatcher at her residence in Edinburgh.
I hope that Sunday Times article hasn't caused you too much distress.
Not at all, ma'am.
I'm just sorry that you'd been terribly let down.
Let down? Yes, apparently, the source of the article is very close to you.
You surprise me, Prime Minister.
I can hardly believe that you would be so interested in recent press speculation.
I became interested when I heard that the source was your press secretary, ma'am.
Are you quite sure about that'? Yes, ma'am.
I understand that Observer will be naming him tomorrow.
I think we need to make quite sure that it never happens again.
One week after the Sunday Times revelations, Michael Shea found himself named by the Observer as the Palace mole and then he found himself sharing breakfast with Mrs Thatcher.
Good morning, Michael.
Good morning, Prime Minister.
I'm really terribly sorry about the piece in the Sunday Times.
Forget about it, dear.
I think it's the Queen to whom you should be apologising.
She's the one who will suffer the most.
They completely misinterpreted me.
Bill has sent a strongly worded letter of complaint to the Times.
My father always likened the press to Pandora's box.
Once it's open, it's impossible to close.
The home athletes put on a show fit for a queen, Roger Black, a 19-year-old student from Portsmouth, causing the first major upset on the track in the 400 metres.
I backed you to the hilt.
You even helped me write the denial to the Times.
You have humiliated me.
I can't sack you, but I think under the circumstances, it'd be best if you left the job.
I'm to go where? I'm sure I can find you something.
At long last, the 25-year-old English woman had fulfilled her promise Thanks to the African boycott, for the first time in 20 years, England came top of the medals table.
But once the leaders of the African nations realised that the Queen was in opposition to Mrs Thatcher, they had second thoughts about leaving the Commonwealth.
I think it helped to keep the Commonwealth together, it did the Commonwealth a favour.
But the Queen got dragged into politics, and it had the seeds of the destruction of the monarchy within it if it had carried on.
No monarch can get involved in politics, particularly party politics, if it wants to survive and stay as head of state above the political fray.
One of the few justifications for a hereditary monarch is that you've chosen a family that you put above the political fray and the head of state is separate from the politics of the day.
At the end of the summer, Mrs Thatcher shifted her position, but it was only a minor U-tum.
She accepted the nominal sanctions against South Africa which were being proposed by the European community, but she still refused to impose the Commonwealth's full, comprehensive sanctions that the Queen had so ardently hoped for.
Remarkable what can be conjured up in the middle of nowhere.
I understand you've recently purchased a retirement home.
Yes, in Dulwich.
Margaret wanted to go to Oxford, but Dulwich is very pleasant and close to the centre of London.
Dulwich.
That's near Peckham, isn't it'? I just hope we didn't buy the house too prematurely.
As I say to my Cabinet colleagues, the unexpected always happens.
I'm sure that's true of politics.
I always think it must be a comfort for the public to know that the monarch is always there even though politicians may come and go.
It must be a comfort to the British public to know that, unlike several Commonwealth countries, they can elect their head of government.
And of course the public knows that my policies will continue long after I've left office.
Could I have a drop more wine, please, dear?