The Daily Telegraph has published a bizarre report stating that, in the event of a nuclear war, the Queen would have been bundled off to the Royal Yacht Britannia, which would then have cruised around the Scottish sea lochs to evade incoming missiles.
Government war planners evidently believed that after the war the Queen would be able to appoint a new government which would then emerge from the ruins and carry on with business as usual.
What is perhaps even more surprising is a quote buried at the end of the report from former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Lady Thatcher is said to have told Sir Rodric Braithwaite, then chairman of the UK Joint Intelligence Committee, that she would not retaliate against a nuclear attack on the UK, saying: "I am not sure Roderic I could press the button. You see, I want grandchildren too."
If even the Iron Lady was not prepared to launch a retaliatory attack during Britain's darkest hour, how can the UK's nuclear weapons have any credibility as a deterrent?
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