Blair's memoir costs him Scottish honour as Queen is unhappy

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Chitranjan Sawant

06 September, 2010

Former prime Minister Tony Blair committed some indiscretions in his book, ? Journey'.The Queen was deeply disappointed with Blair and has withheld grant of Knighthood to him.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II of the United Kingdom is deeply disappointed with some of the writings of Tony Blair, former prime Minister of UK. It is reported that grant of the Order of the Thistle, a top Scottish honour, to Tony Blair was on the cards but for the publication of the controversial memoirs by the former Prime Minister called 'A Journey'.

Tony Blair had quoted some personal conversation between him and the Queen that had taken place in the Buckingham Palace, the official palace of the British monarch. It has been an age-old custom not to make public whatever transpired between the Queen and her prime minister in the Buckingham Palace. Tony Blair had violated this time honoured custom and thus infringed the royal privacy.

The 84-year old British Queen did not say anything publicly but hinted to the royal household staff that the top Scottish honour, the Order of the Thistle, could wait for another opportune moment. It may be recalled that the Queen was pleased to grant a top honour to Lady Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady, soon after she demitted the office of the Prime Minister. Hugo Vickus, a royal biographer, has termed

Tony Blair’s reference to the royal conversation in the autobiographical work as “Cocky”.

The “Sunday Express” has quoted royal insiders to buttress the story and opined that some indiscretions in the book under reference has cost Tony Blair the exclusive honour of being bestowed with the top Scottish award, “the Order of the Thistle”.

It is understood that besides mentioning weighty matters of state, Tony Blair had recorded such mundane matters as the Queen herself handling the plates after a private party in the Buckingham Palace. The royal staff defended the action in the plate episode saying that the Queen is after all a human being.

It may also be mentioned here that on demitting office of the prime minister, Tony Blair, under the influence of his wife, Cherie had converted to Roman Catholicism from Protestantism. In a Protestant country like England, the conversion to Catholicism has not gone well with the citizenry. However, it should not be construed that this factor had anything to do with the Queen’s decision in withholding the grant of Knighthood to Tony Blair.