Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Queen Elizabeth's Lawyer Lobbied Government to Hide 'Embarrassing' Personal Investments

Queen Elizabeth's Lawyer Lobbied Government to Hide 'Embarrassing' Personal Investments

The true extent of Queen Elizabeth's wealth has never been made public but it is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of pounds.

Uncovered government documents found in the UK's National Archives reveal that Queen Elizabeth's private lawyer pressured politicians to change legislation so her shareholdings could remain undisclosed, according to a report in The Guardian on Sunday.

Following an intervention by Buckingham Palace, Conservative ministers during the government of Ted Heath included a clause into the law which gave the government the ability to give an exemption to firms owned by “heads of state” from new legislation on corporate transparency.

The reports show that lawyers acting on behalf of Her Majesty invoked the Queen’s consent arrangement. Under this system, the reigning monarch is informed if a law could impact either the royal prerogative or private interests prior to parliamentary approval.

According to the archived memos, in November 1973 the Queen was concerned that the proposed bill to bring transparency to corporate shareholdings would open her finances to public criticism.

The Queen's private lawyer Matthew Farrer reportedly spoke to employees of the then Department of Trade and Industry regarding the proposed new measures in the bill. Farrer reportedly claimed that the Queen was worried about the possibility of her private investments being revealed.

A Civil Servant named CM Drukker said on 9 November that he spoke with Mr Farrer, who relayed to him his client's concern "over the risk of disclosure to directors of a company as to shareholders and the general public".

“He justifies this not only because of the risk of inadvertent or indiscreet leaking to other people”, Drukker continued, adding that "basically because disclosure to any person would be embarrassing".

Downing Street subsequently proposed the inclusion of an additional clause to the legislation which would permit the government to give specific firms exemption from otherwise mandatory shareholder revelation. After the general election that same year which put the Labour Party into power, the Harold Wilson government maintained the bill unaltered and it became law in 1976.

Members of Britain's Royal family from left, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Princess Eugenie, Queen Elizabeth II, background Timothy Laurence, Princess Beatrice, Prince Philip, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William watch a fly past as they appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, after attending the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony in London, Saturday, June 17, 2017


A spokesperson for the Queen told The Guardian that “Queen’s consent is a parliamentary process, with the role of sovereign purely formal. Consent is always granted by the monarch where requested by the government".

“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."

“If consent is required, draft legislation is, by convention, put to the sovereign to grant solely on the advice of ministers and as a matter of public record."

Despite the use of the Queen’s consent system typically being recorded in the parliamentary debate recorder 'Hansard' before a bill's third reading, no such notification of consent for the 1976 law can be found.

An exemption is given almost immediately following the law's approval to a company called Bank of England Nominees Limited, controlled by top Bank of England officials, which has been previously highlighted as a potential possible funnel through which the Queen owns shares.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×