[Rockingham]

The Queen nevertheless bears considerable responsibility for the scandal because Shea was her press secretary after all. And it is hard to imagine that Shea made up his account out of whole cloth without any reference to the Queen's private views. Indeed, the story got the traction that it did because it publicly confirmed what the Queen's views were widely rumored to be, reflecting "Tory wet" thinking among Britain's elite and their disparagement of Thatcher. In the end, the Queen was not so much innocent as the victim of a beach of protocol.

[ryderann]

” And it is hard to imagine that Shea made up his account out of whole cloth...”

Why not? We have individuals who do it every day.