The Prime Minister said he was 'very embarrassed' to be caught on microphone saying the Queen had 'purred' when he told her Scotland voted No in the referendum
David Cameron on Wednesday said that he was “extremely sorry” for revealing the contents of a private conversation with the Queen following the Scottish independence referendum.
The Prime Minister said he was “very embarrassed” he was caught on microphone saying that the Queen had “purred” when he phoned her to say that Scotland had voted No in the referendum.
He intends to make a personal apology to the Queen in Buckingham Palace. Asked if he is sorry and will now apologise to the Queen, Mr Cameron said: “Yes and yes.”
“Look, I’m very embarrassed by this. I’m extremely sorry about it,” Mr Cameron said. “It was a private conversation, but clearly a private conversation that I shouldn’t have had and won’t have again. My office has already been in touch with the Palace to make that clear and I will do so as well.”
Mr Cameron was overheard making the comments to Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, on Tuesday.
He said: “The definition of relief is being the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and ringing the Queen and saying 'It’s all right, it’s OK'. That was something. She purred down the line.”
Mr Cameron’s unguarded comments were made as he entered the headquarters of Bloomberg in New York alongside the former mayor. The two politicians were being filmed as they walked through the building but were apparently unaware that their conversation was being picked up by microphones.
The BBC was criticised on Wednesday after it claimed that the Prime Minister had also suggested that the Queen had cried during their conversation. Peter Hunt, the BBC’s royal correspondent, said on Twitter that the BBC’s “finest ears” believed he had said: “I’ve never heard someone tear up like that. It was great.”
Channel 4 News subsequently claimed the words were “cheer up”, significantly changing the meaning of his comments.
Rob Wilson, a Tory MP, said: “The BBC should not have speculated on anything it did not hear clearly in the conversation between the PM and Blomberg.
“It was obviously very embarrassing for the PM and he has apologised. But it is totally inappropriate for the BBC to try to make matters worse for the PM by speculating on something where the meaning could be totally different if you change one word, or tear up to cheer up.
“This is not a BBC reporter’s job, reporting the facts is. I am surprised and disappointed that this has happened and urge the BBC to take much greater care in the future.”
In the days before the referendum, it was reported that the Queen was “horrified” by the prospect of Scottish independence. She subsequently said that people should “think very carefully” before they voted, in comments which were interpreted as a call for Scotland to remain in the United Kingdom.
Scotland last week voted to remain in the Union by a margin of 55 per cent to 45 per cent.
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