Alastair Grant - Pool/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II made a cutting joke about Boris Johnson shortly before she passed away in 2022.
Serialised extracts from Tim Shipman’s new book, ‘Out’, suggest the late monarch’s mischievous sense of humour was alive and well as she conducted her last acts of service.
The Queen appointed Liz Truss as her 15th prime minister after Johnson was ousted as prime minister following a succession of scandals.
According to Shipman, the Queen joked “At least I won’t have that idiot organising my funeral now” after accepting his resignation as prime minister.
In an additional quip about his personality, the author also claims the late Queen added that Boris was “perhaps better suited to the stage”.
The late monarch took particular umbrage to his decision to prorogue Parliament in 2019, with members of her family expressing outrage over Johnson treating the Queen like that.
Johnson has denied lying to her over the advice he gave her over the five-week suspension of Parliament.
The book ‘Out’ by Tim Shipman is published by HarperCollins and is published on November 21.
Related: UK’s former Brexit negotiator admits closer ties with Europe ‘is common sense’
