Theresa May today paid a heartfelt tribute to the Queen, describing her as an “acute judge of people”.
May was prime minister from 2016 to 2019, a chapter of political history that was dominated by the bitter arguments over Brexit.
She said the Queen was “immensely knowledgable” during their weekly audiences and added: “I always say it was that one meeting a prime minister went into when they knew that nothing that was said was going to be briefed to the press or leaked afterwards.”
The Tory MP for Maidenhead made the comments during a rare media appearance on BBC Radio 4′s Today programme.
Asked if the Queen was able to give her portraits of the global figures she was meeting, May replied: “She was a very acute judge of people.”
Presenter Nick Robinson laughed and said: “I’m looking at your face. You’re choosing your words diplomatically and carefully. Did she occasionally say the odd barbed, waspish thing?”
May replied: “No, she was a very acute judge of people and was able often to give those little, if you like, pen portraits of people that she knew, that she’d met.
“Sometimes it was a case of not just the individual but actually a sort of history of that individual, of her experiences of particular countries and particular issues.”
Asked about the Queen’s sense of humour, May replied: “There was often that twinkle in the eye and that magnificent smile that would break out, that would calm so many people’s nerves and made so many people feel at ease.
“There was always that sense of humour and if you think about it, what other world leader would be willing to be seen coming down on a parachute?
“A helicopter into London 2012? Or sit there watching Paddington Bear drinking tea from the teapot?”
From Winston Churchill to Liz Truss, 15 prime ministers served the queen throughout her reign of 70 years.
The Queen would have regular contact with the prime minister of the day and weekly meetings with them at Buckingham Palace.
The prime minister would be expected to keep the Queen informed about matters of national importance.
Sir John Major, Conservative prime minister from 1990 to 1997, told the BBC he had “so many recollections” of their meetings that were “different from what people might imagine”.
“There was a great deal of amusement in them, there was a great deal of humour in them, there was a great deal of gossip in them,” he said.
David Cameron, Conservative prime minister from 2010 to 2016, said the Queen had been “the constant in all our lives over the past 70 years”.
He said it was a “privilege” to sit down with her each week and call on her “sage advice and wise counsel”.
Cameron added: “I was fortunate to have been able to call on the knowledge of the world’s greatest public servant and, indeed, the world’s most experienced diplomat.”
Sir Tony Blair, Labour prime minister from 1997 to 2007, said the Queen “personified everything which makes us proud to be British”.
He had lunch with her at Windsor Castle for the Garter ceremony just a few months ago and added: “At that lunch, we sat next to each other and she was on sparkling form as we talked - warm, gracious, humorous and spirited. She was not only respected but loved.”
Gordon Brown, Labour prime minister from 2007 to 2010, said the Queen was a “peacemaker” admired for her sense of public duty.
“She was endlessly patient even when talking about the details of a boring budget. But most of all what shone through was her complete and utter dedication to the country and the constitution,” he told the BBC.
Boris Johnson, Conservative prime minister from 2019 to 2022, said the death of the Queen will leave a “void” and that it was the country’s “saddest day”.
“As is so natural with human beings, it is only when we face the reality of our loss that we truly understand what has gone,” he said.
Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-reigning monarch, died at Balmoral on Thursday at the age of 96.
King Charles III, who became the new monarch immediately, is expected to address the nation today.
New prime minister Liz Truss, who was appointed by the Queen on Tuesday, described her as “the rock upon which modern Britain was built”.