Queen Feels the Pain of Smokers

Writes Tim Walker with Richard Eden at the Sunday Telegraph:

Few people will be implementing the smoking ban in England today with less enthusiasm than the Queen. Although she has consented to have no-smoking signs erected in the public areas of Buckingham Palace to comply with the new regulations, she has made it clear to courtiers that she would have preferred to continue to offer visitors the use of ash-trays rather than outlaw the practice.

"HM is a confirmed non-smoker but she is also a great libertarian and has no time for political correctness," says my man at the Palace. "She has always made cigarettes available to her guests. I might add that she also refuses to wear a hard hat when she is out riding and she refuses, too, to wear a seat belt when she travels by car."

No-smoking signs are already up at the entrances used by members of the public when they receive honours, but there will be none at those used by the Queen, members of the Royal Family or their senior aides. "She has agreed to comply, but can't bear the Government meddling with every aspect of an individual's life," adds the courtier.

As for the seat belt, Her Britannic Majesty seems to be "echoing" her first cousin once removed His Late Majesty King Olav V of Norway, who also refused to wear a seat belt, after having asked the politicos about the relation between individual freedom and seat belt regulations.

Visiting the Realm of New Zealand, I told some Kiwis and fellow travellers about our late King's attitude. A Canadian responded almost fiercely that the Queen has no rights in Canada, and that if the Governor-General did something similar, he would be Governor-General no more.

Now, apparently, the Queen of Canada does do something similar. Whether she does so on Canadian soil, the story does not say.