Queen compared to a ‘PRIGGISH schoolgirl’ by Lord Altrincham

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The Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee this year, marking 70 years on the throne. As Britain’s longest-serving monarch, she has witnessed some of the most pivotal moments in world history. Since her coronation, she has helped steer the Royal Family through challenging times, including controversy surrounding the monarchy. 

Perhaps one of the monarchy’s most “outspoken” critics was Lord Altrincham, who later renounced his peerage and was known as John Grigg. 

Lord Altrincham shook the Royal Family when he published his thoughts on Queen Elizabeth in his magazine, the National and English Review.

He said Her Majesty sounded like a “priggish schoolgirl” and called her style of speaking “a pain in the neck”. 

Royal author and historian Tracy Borman claimed that Lord Altrincham said the Queen couldn’t “engage or relate to people” and he “called for change”. 

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Speaking on Thursday’s episode of Pod Save The Queen, she said: “He called her a ‘priggish schoolgirl’ and said that she can’t give a speech that somebody else hasn’t written for her, she doesn’t know how to engage people or relate to people on their level and he called for change.”

Ms Borman said that Altrincham was a “lone voice” during a time when the Queen “commanded a lot of affection” — in the 1950s, soon after Her Majesty had been crowned. 

He pointed to “outdated customs such as the coming out of debutantes” and also called out the “cost of the monarchy to the public purse”.

His comments caused quite a stir and the majority of the press turned on Altrincham, with the BBC dropping him from Any Questions. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury was furious and the Duke of Argyll said that he should be hanged, drawn and quartered.

When Altrincham appeared on television to try and explain himself, he was met with angry crowds.

As he left the studio, he was punched by an ex-soldier named Philip Kinghorn Burbidge, who later defended his actions in court by saying:  “Due to the scurrilous attack by Lord Altrincham, I felt it was up to decent Britons to show some resentment”. 

He was fined £1 and told reporters outside of the courthouse: “I did what Prince Philip wanted to do, but couldn’t.”

However, in a surprising turn of events, the monarchy began making major changes and Lord Altrincham was invited to a meeting at the Palace.

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Ms Borman explained: “And it’s interesting — and I think quite admirable — that rather than just be affronted by this criticism, the Palace invited Lord Altrincham to a meeting with Martin Charteris, the Queen’s private secretary, who basically used him as an advisor and they kind of acted on his advice.

“It was a direct result of Lord Altrincham’s criticism that the monarchy changed and that it did modernise.”

That year, the Queen made her first televised Christmas Message, telling her subjects that she wanted them to feel closer to her as their sovereign.

By 1958, a year later, debutantes were no longer presented to the Queen in court.

The “presentation parties” for young upper-class debutantes were replaced by more accessible “garden parties” which included a broader range of people.

Ms Borman said: “Charteris later said that Lord Altrincham had performed a greater service to the monarchy than anyone else he can think of.”

Following the incident, Altrincham married his coworker Patricia Campbell and they adopted two children. 

The Review closed in 1960 and Altrincham tried to stand as an MP after renouncing his title and peerage in the House of Lords, however his attempt was unsuccessful. 

He died in 2001 at the age of 77.

While it remains unknown whether the Queen and Lord Altrincham ever met, or whether Her Majesty was upset by his article, he did have a lasting impact on the monarchy. 

Ms Borman said: “I think the Queen has continued with some of those initiatives, particularly streamlining the Royal Family who are dependent on the public purse, reducing the financial burden of the monarchy.”

Ms Bornam claims that it was “a good job” Altrincham was “so outspoken” as he did the monarchy “an awful lot of favours”. 

She said: “Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer and that’s what they did — they invited him right into Buckingham Palace.

“And actually Lord Altrincham was not a republican, he was a monarchist — he wanted the monarchy to survive and it’s a good job that he was so outspoken about it because I think he did the monarchy an awful lot of favours.”

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