Could Queen Elizabeth II’s diaries be published?
There’s a possibility. One of Queen Elizabeth’s former pages, Paul Whybrew, has been tasked with sorting through her private diaries and letters to decide what will be available to the public and what will remain confidential.
The Telegraph reports, “It is understood to be too early to decide which documents might eventually be publicly released in the years to come from the Royal Archives. The Queen kept a handwritten diary, which could offer an unprecedented look at the late monarch’s thoughts and views on political and family life during her long reign.”
Queen Elizabeth did keep a handwritten diary, but the Daily Mail reports “it was much more perfunctory than the journals kept by Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother.” Elizabeth once said she wrote in her diary about 15 minutes each evening, saying in a documentary, “I keep a diary, but not like Queen Victoria’s. It’s quite small.”
Whybrew is part of a team from the Master of the Household’s Department and the Royal Collection Trust looking at the late Queen’s papers and letters, and he is reportedly working on the project two days a week, as he is retired.
Whybrew, nicknamed “Tall Paul” due to his 6-foot-4 stature, has been entrusted with the task by King Charles III. “For this task, King Charles needed someone he could trust, someone he could be sure would never breathe a word of whatever he came across,” the Mail wrote. “Tall Paul is the legacy man—the keeper of the Queen’s secrets. There is no one else that the King would have trusted with such a big job. This is the ultimate reward for his loyalty.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
