A series of Government memos unearthed in the National Archives show how the Queen's private lawyer reportedly put pressure on ministers to alter legislation to prevent her shareholdings from being disclosed, according to The Guardian. According to the paper, her private lawyer Matthew Farrer visited civil servants at the then Department of Trade and Industry to discuss the proposed transparency measures in the companies bill. The measures survived a change of Government and became law in 1976 under the Labour government led by Harold Wilson. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Queen said: “Queen’s consent is a parliamentary process, with the role of sovereign purely formal. “Whether Queen’s consent is required is decided by parliament, independently from the royal household, in matters that would affect crown interests, including personal property and personal interests of the monarch.

Source: Daily Mirror February 07, 2021 18:57 UTC