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1978, when the representatives of the German Navy dined on board Britannia with the
British Navy, there was a sense of how things might have been before 1914. Elizabeth
flew to Berlin; still the city of the Wall, of East and West and Checkpoint Charlie. There
were echoes of 1945; she could not help but be conscious of the decline in her country’s
standing since her father’s reign. Huge changes had taken place in Anglo-German
relations since her last state visit in 1965, and in 1975 Britain had voted in a
referendum to stay in the EEC. Elizabeth had accepted this as the official policy of Her
Majesty’s Government. Asked what her feelings on Europe were, a former minister said:
‘I would be surprised if she didn’t have mainstream views. Instinct tells me she isn’t
hostile.’ Another thought that she was ‘rather pro-Europe’. When the recently appointed
President of the Commission of the European Community, Roy Jenkins, had a half-hour
audience with her in July 1977, he found her ‘friendly and forthcoming’:
Her Europeanism did not extend to an uncritical acceptance of the major European leaders. She got Giscard
right, but underestimated Schmidt, perhaps too influenced by his having stubbed out his cigarettes all over
the Buckingham Palace plates. None the less, her European commitment seemed very strong and when I
broached the question of her paying a visit to the Community, she was positively enthusiastic, and said that
something in the new year ought to be possible. 12
‘My quite strong impression was that she leant in a pro-Europe direction but Prince
Philip didn’t,’ a source said. The tradition at the Brussels Commission Headquarters was
for a visiting head of state to ask questions of the Commission. Elizabeth’s Private
Secretary intimated that he didn’t think she would want to ask any questions. To the
suggestion that Philip might like to, he replied, ‘That’s what we’re afraid of.’ When the
visit did take place in November 1980, Elizabeth apparently enjoyed herself and was
described as being ‘in a very good temper throughout’.
The year of the Silver Jubilee, 1977, marking Elizabeth’s twenty-five years on the
throne, was an unexpected high point, both for her and for the country. Twenty-five
years after her accession the omens for any kind of celebration had not been auspicious.
Britain was wallowing in the worst economic trough since 1945 with inflation at 16 per
cent and 1.5 million unemployed. The Chancellor had been forced to go to the
International Monetary Fund for a huge loan which imposed severe cuts in public
expenditure. Under the circumstances nobody felt much like celebrating; the
Government had no money to spend and Elizabeth was anxious that no grandiose
schemes should be embarked on in her honour. ‘The Government’s line was “We don’t
want to overdo this”,’ Martin Charteris said. ‘I told them – look, you’ve never done what
I’ve done – followed the Queen round in Birmingham and Sheffield and places like that
and seen the glow she spreads around and how people empty out into the streets to see
her.’ The Government was also worried about the potential danger to Elizabeth of the
proposed Jubilee tour of Britain, which had been planned since 1975 to include
Northern Ireland. In April they asked Charteris what Elizabeth wanted to do about it –
did she still intend to go to Ulster? Charteris went to her and said, ‘They’re worried