James Callaghan - The seventh prime minister to serve the queen was a ‘devoted monarchist’ and both of them had a strong relationship. The Queen has worked with over a dozen prime ministers, building strong relationships and offering advice on important matters. Heath made the UK pro-Europe, regarding which the queen had her reservations. There were fears that their relationship would be problematic given Wilson’s socialist leanings but Ben Pimlott, the British historian, wrote that Wilson treated Elizabeth as an equal and “almost as a member of his Cabinet”.Įdward Heath - The sixth prime minister and the queen did not have a close relationship. Harold Wilson - Wilson was the first prime minister from the Labour Party to serve the queen.

However, they later grew fond of each other and worked together.Īlec Douglas-Home - The fourth prime minister to serve under Elizabeth had a close relationship with the Queen and helped her name royal horses over the years.

Harold Macmillan - He was the third prime minister to serve under the queen and the two did not initially hit it off. Sir ‘Tommy’ Lascelles, top civil servant and the former personal secretary of the Queen, remarked that during the private meetings between Churchill and the Queen one could hear only slight bursts of “laughter” and many observed that Churchill admired the young monarch’s (she was 25 when she became queen) attitude and understanding of how important her role was.Īnthony Eden - Even though former prime minister Eden and the Queen had developed a good relationship, his handling of the Suez Crisis, which led to the nationalisation of Suez Canal in 1956, concerned the queen. Winston Churchill - When England’s wartime prime minister retired the queen sent him a handwritten note where she said no successor can ever replace her “first prime minister”.

Here is a list of prime ministers who served under Queen Elizabeth II, whose son Charles III, will be crowned King of England on Saturday: The Queen’s role in inviting prime ministers to form a government played a crucial constitutional role in the transition of power. From Winston Churchill in 1952 to Liz Truss in 2022, over the period of seven decades, Elizabeth waited eagerly to meet with her prime ministers for the weekly ‘private audiences’. Throughout her reign, which lasted for 70 years, Queen Elizabeth developed strong relationships with her 15 prime ministers.

Harold Wilson by Ben Pimlott