Queen’s footman Tall Paul ‘tasked with sorting through her private documents
Some of the Queen’s personal documents, including a handwritten diary, could be released into the national archives in the near future. The caveat is that any documents considered too sensitive or personal will remain confidential under the discretion of the King, who has selected a fascinating choice as proofreader.
Sifting through the private papers must be done with the greatest confidentiality considering they contain the Queen’s most personal feelings and reflections, and the King has somewhat shockingly delegated the job to a retired footman affectionately referred to as ‘Tall Paul’.
Paul Whybrew, who towers at 6ft 4in, was in the Queen’s service for 44 years as one of a few loyal staff who were with her in her final days at Balmoral.
In 1982 he wrestled Michael Fagan to the ground and escorted him out of Buckingham Palace after her broke into the Queen’s bedroom.
However to the wider public, ‘Tall Paul’ is most renowned for featuring in the James Bond sketch for the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony.
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In the skit the page introduces Daniel Craig at Buckingham Palace by simply saying: “Mr Bond, Your Majesty” as the Queen was writing a letter at her desk.
Mr Whybrew, who is in his early-60s, now has the role of sorting all the notes within the desk, and a few more elsewhere, MailOnline reports.
Paul now spends two days a week of his retirement scrutinising each priceless document.
While the Queen said she kept a diary, she confirmed it was far less detailed that of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
Regardless the documents’ contents could offer some fascinating reflections about topics varying from politics to private family life.
One source commented: “For this task, King Charles needed someone he could trust, someone he could be sure would never breathe a word of whatever he came across.
“Tall Paul is the legacy man – the keeper of the Queen’s secrets. There is no one else that the King would have trusted with such a big job. This is the ultimate reward for his loyalty.”
Currently what the documents contain are unidentified, but could feature captivating information about the Queen’s meeting with Princess Diana to discuss her and Charles’ separation, the Megxit talks with Prince Harry, and her various reflections of the fifteen Prime Ministers that were in office during her reign.
The documents will be split into three categories.
First, a portion of them will be made public, especially if it contains a constitutional or governmental element.
Secondly, some will be deemed private by the King, and therefore kept within his own files.
Finally, some will be somewhere in the middle, so will be filed within Windsor Castle library’s restricted archives to be shown just to a handful of academics at their request.
The documents that will probably go public are copies that are in the possession of the government, as they fall under the 20-year rule, which was cut down from 30 in 2013.
Under the Public Records Act of 1958, it is Government department’s responsibility to choose which files are to be moved to the National Archives at Kew, West London, or alternatively another approved location.
Oppositely to the Windsor archives, documents at Kew are free to access by anyone, already featuring details of controversial Royal events such as the death of Princess Diana in 1997 and King Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936.
But the Queen’s personal diaries will be a private issue for her close family.
The documents could be released to feature in an exhibition, but the details would be agreed with the Cabinet Office.
If an arrangement was reached they would be kept by the Royal Collection Trust which controls Royal exhibition files.
Broadcaster and budding diarist Sir Michael Palin was told by the Queen that she authored her diaries for around 15 minutes each night before heading to bed when she got too tired.
She told the then Bishop of Chelmsford in a documentary: “I keep a diary, but not like Queen Victoria’s. It’s quite small.”
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The cleric questioned: “But you write it in your own hand?”
“Oh yes,” Elizabeth responded, before quipping: “Well, I can’t write it any other way!”
Queen Victoria took things a step or two further than her great-great-granddaughter, writing an estimated 2,500 words a day in letters and journals stretching to 122 volumes, however her daughter Beatrice destroyed section she felt were too personal after she had passed away.
Alongside handwritten diaries, the Queen’s files include collections of letters which discuss nearly every imaginable subject and also include early exchanges between her and eventual husband Prince Philip.
When Mr Whybrew has finished sifting through the files in a few months time, a catalogue of the chosen documents will be given to the King, who has the final say on what files are chopped and which ones will meet the public eye.
As payment for his efforts, ‘Tall Paul’ has been gifted lifelong leave to continue his retirement in a lodge cottage on the Windsor Castle estate.
The aide was reportedly “very pleasantly surprised” at receiving “a very good pay-off by palace standards” following Elizabeth II’s passing.
It is said that Mr Whybrew proved his commitment to the Queen as her health declined by leading the Palace team in keeping a stiff upper lip.
A source close to the subject said: “At one point, Paul had to whisk others off in case Princess Anne saw them making a fuss.”
Mr Whybrew was given special tasks by the Queen when her health failed, with an insider revealing he had to contact former aides before she died.
One of which was Paul Burrell, the ‘other Paul’, who began working for the Queen at a similar time as ‘Tall Paul’, but had a drastically different temperament.
The content of Burrell’s message remains unknown, although it is said she was just attempting to set her affairs in order.
Mr Whybrew’s company in Windsor is very heartening for the King according to Palace insiders, particularly after his long-term aide Michael Fawcett was forced out of his involvement with The Prince’s Foundation due to a cash-for-honours humiliation.
Following murmurings that his private secretary Clive Alderton may make his way back to the Foreign Office, the King’s team is set for a shuffle and some new faces.
The King is reportedly going to hire two people of colour to promote diversity in the upper echelons of the Palace.
The legacy of the travelling exhibition of numerous of Diana’s personal possessions after her passing seems to have weighed on the King, who is believed to be set on warranting that his mother’s belongings are protected effectively.
A source has said that there is no hurry for statues to be commissioned despite the fact an exhibition is planned to celebrate his parents’ lives.
‘Tall Paul’ is clearly held in high esteem by the family, as the King is said to be at ease that his mother’s secrets will be protected.
A former aide said: ‘Paul is so discreet that he’ll take the Queen’s secrets to the grave.’
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