‘EU’ is a Remainer, ma’am?

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IT’S AN accepted part of British tradition that the monarch shows a complete and total impartiality when it comes to politics and the issues of the day.

Her son and heir, The Prince of Wales, has been known for his outspoken views on a variety of subjects over the years and his selection of ‘black spider memos’ to government ministers have become legendary.

However, his mother has kept her own Queen’s Counsel to herself. She defines the word inscrutable, so it was with some raising of the eyebrows when HM Queen Elizabeth II was seen to possibly display her own hidden views on the subject of Brexit.

Whether it was a coincidence or an example of what is known to be a wicked and mischievous sense of humour, she opened parliament last week wearing a hat that looked very much like the flag of the European Union.

In a dressed-down State Opening of Parliament due to the snap General Election that would traditionally see Her Majesty wearing full regalia and the Imperial Crown, she sported a blue hat adorned with blue flowers each containing a bright yellow disc in the centre, looking suspiciously like stars from a distance. As the speech was taking place, social media exploded with the usual jokers and conspiracy theorists.

“Queen delivers speech outlining Brexit plans wearing a hat that looks suspiciously like a EUROPEAN flag,” the Daily Mail newspaper tweeted.

Others on Twitter didn’t take too long to make up composite images, with one half showing Elizabeth wearing the hat, the other showing the flag.

A headline published in The Sun newspaper last year claiming that the queen “backed Brexit” based on alleged overheard conversations, prompted official denials and a subsequent complaint to press regulators from Buckingham Palace, which ruled that it was significantly misleading.