Late Queen’s top aide breaks silence on handling a ‘seat of the pants’ crisis

A erstwhile main advisor to the precocious Queen has revealed the “seat of the pants” situation talks that took spot aft Boris Johnson was admitted to intensive attraction with Covid, including treatment of “scenario C” implicit what would hap if helium died.

Lord Young of Old Windsor besides lifted the lid connected however helium and the past premier minister’s apical adjutant Martin Reynolds had intervened astatine the past infinitesimal to halt a face-to-face gathering betwixt the susceptible monarch and the unknowingly infected Tory leader, averting imaginable disaster.

The autarkic crossbencher broke his soundlessness connected the behind-the-scenes play astatine the centre of powerfulness successful the aboriginal days of the coronavirus exigency successful 2020, arsenic helium stressed the value of an impartial Civil Service “when things spell wrong” and the law “rulebook runs out”.

Lord Young served the precocious Queen for astir 2 decades, latterly arsenic main backstage caput until her decease successful 2022, and remained successful station to oversee the modulation to the reign of King Charles III.

Speaking successful a Lords statement successful Parliament connected concerns implicit the politicisation of Whitehall, Lord Young said: “My contention is that a neutral Civil Service is captious successful supporting the channels of communication, the law channels betwixt authorities and authorities particularly successful a crisis, particularly successful the discourse of the unwritten constitution we have, which is 99% reliant connected precedent and 1% spot of the pants erstwhile things spell wrong.”

He told peers: “Before I came to the House I was for galore years backstage caput to the precocious Queen and I’d similar to connection an illustration of what happens erstwhile that 1% occurs successful a crisis.”

He recounted events from aboriginal April 2020 that saw Mr Johnson admitted to infirmary with Covid-19, soon aft the imposition of the archetypal lockdown.

Lord Young said: “In recalling this illustration I americium precise conscious of the omerta rule that I americium signed up to and arsenic you would expect I sought support from those who I volition name.”

He went on: “It was the aboriginal evening of Monday April 6, it was pouring with rain, I was walking location from Buckingham Palace, the Queen had conscionable moved to Windsor Castle.

“I stopped astatine a autobus structure to instrumentality a telephone from the fantabulous Martin Reynolds, the main backstage caput to Boris Johnson.

The premier curate considered it his work to beryllium determination to bash it look to look and the precocious Queen considered it her work excessively - successful a benignant of Blitz spirit, 'Well, I’ve got to dice sometime' cognition - but it truly was not the infinitesimal for taking unnecessary risks

Lord Young of Old Windsor

“We knew that the premier curate had gone into infirmary the nighttime before.

“But his extortion officers had overheard immoderate consultants discussing however they were going to archer Carrie (his present wife) that helium mightiness person to spell into ICU and connected to a ventilator.

“Clearly, I had to update the Queen connected this.”

Lord Young added: “We had our suspicions, because, conscionable the erstwhile Wednesday, the last face-to-face assemblage astatine Buckingham Palace had been scheduled.

“The premier curate considered it his work to beryllium determination to bash it look to look and the precocious Queen considered it her work excessively – successful a benignant of Blitz spirit, ‘Well, I’ve got to dice sometime’ cognition – but it truly was not the infinitesimal for taking unnecessary risks.

“In the end, some participants were truthful keen to spell up with it that Martin and I arranged for him to archer the premier curate that the Palace wanted to cancel and for maine to archer the Queen that Number 10 had got acold feet, which was precise lucky, because, by the extremity of the telephone call… the premier curate had started coughing.”

The adjacent time helium received a telephone from the past furniture caput Mark Sedwill, present Lord Sedwill, that Mr Johnson had tested affirmative for Covid.

Lord Young said: “So determination was a script that we had avoided, luckily, of an unknowingly affirmative caput of authorities being successful proximity to a beardown but susceptible caput of state, and past mightiness person taken different constitutionally taxing path.”

Yes, Spencer Perceval had been changeable and died, determination was immoderate precedent determination but not for a premier curate who was live but incapable to pass for an unforeseen play of time

Lord Young of Old Windsor

With Mr Johnson subsequently admitted to hospital, Lord Young recalled the ongoing discussions arsenic helium sat connected his mobile telephone successful a “rainy autobus structure adjacent Battersea”.

He said: “There was nary lawman premier minister, determination was nary precedent to gully from.”

Referring to the lone premier curate to beryllium assassinated whilst holding office, Lord Young said: “Yes, Spencer Perceval had been changeable and died, determination was immoderate precedent determination but not for a premier curate who was live but incapable to pass for an unforeseen play of time.

“It was the impartial quality of the treatment of what was described arsenic script C – the euphemistic, anodyne-sounding script which was truly astir what would hap if the premier curate died – that was truthful important.

“The impartial quality of the proposal that I was receiving from the furniture caput and the main backstage secretary, enabling maine to study to Her Majesty successful supporting her arsenic caput of state, was crucial.

“It enactment authorities earlier authorities and surely earlier patron.

“It is important erstwhile the rulebook runs retired to beryllium capable to trust connected radical who person wide judgement to beryllium capable to navigate the abstraction betwixt the lines.”