The Queen thought introduction of equal marriage was wrong, friend claims

The Queen might have given Royal Assent to England and Wales’ historic marriage equality law in 2013, but she privately opposed the the bill’s introduction, a friend has claimed.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the anonymous source suggests that it was The Queen’s deep Christian faith which dictated her opinion on equal marriage, of which she did not approve, although she was in favour of civil partnerships.

She is alleged to have expressed her frustration to the friend at the time when equal marriage was coming into law in England and Wales in 2013, but admitted she was powerless to intervene. When the friend asked her if she could do something about it, she allegedly replied, “I can’t. I can only advise and warn.”

Here, she was referring to the accepted limits by which the monarch can influence parliament’s decisions. The Queen is expected to sign off on every bill passed by the British parliament, although technically she reserves the right to refuse to do so.

THE QUEEN

Speaking further, the friend added: “It was the ‘marriage’ thing that she thought was wrong, because marriage ought to be sacrosanct between a man and a woman.”

As ‘Defender of the Faith’, The Queen is the head of the Church of England, which is opposed to same-sex marriage on the grounds that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Precedent dictates that The Queen should not publicly express an opinion on political matters, and so her views on gay rights have long been, and will likely remain, a mystery – though the monarch has come under criticism for failing to publicly support LGBT organisations for the vast majority of her reign.

This seemingly pointed silence on LGBT issues ended only in 2014, when she congratulated the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard on marking its 40th anniversary, saying, “Best wishes and congratulations to all concerned on this most special anniversary.”

The Queen became the UK’s longest serving monarch in September 2015, and celebrates her 90th birthday on April 21.

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