Did she or didn’t she?
Following an address to the Sandringham Women’s Institute on Thursday, many interpreted Queen Elizabeth’s words to be a veiled comment on Brexit.
Highlighting the importance of compromise, the Queen said to those in attendance, “As we look for new answers in the modern age, I, for one, prefer the tried and tested recipes, like speaking well of each other and respecting different points of view; coming together to seek out the common ground; and never losing sight of the bigger picture. To me, these approaches are timeless, and I commend them to everyone.”
Of course, she didn’t mention Brexit by name, nor the upcoming vote in four days’ time on Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposal. But that didn’t stop commentators across the U.K. from deeming it an intervention. The Times of London characterized the queen’s comments as urging “politicians to respect, not attack, one another.”
Meanwhile, The Mirror offered a line-by-line analysis of what her speech may have meant.
This is not the first time the queen has made comments of this sort. During her Christmas address last year, she said, “Even with the most deeply held differences, treating the other person with respect and as a fellow human being is always a good first step toward greater understanding.”
Whether her comments were intended to offer insight into her own views around Brexit, or were in fact simply a representation of her views on finding understanding, the fact remains that the U.K. is still no closer to agreeing upon a Brexit deal.
