BORIS JOHNSON: I instructed the Queen I would had a nightmare about being late for her and the Duke. ‘Oh, sure’, she replied, clearly having heard this one from a PM earlier than. ‘Have been you bare?’

It is bizarre how usually I consider the Queen, regardless that it’s now a 12 months since she died. It is not that our late ­monarch has proved irreplaceable. Quite the opposite, the brand new King is doing an excellent job.

After his epic apprenticeship he’s ­proving — as our nationwide poet places it — most royal. And but I discover that my thoughts goes again, just about daily, to the ­conversations that I used to be fortunate sufficient to have with Elizabeth II.

It occurs when I’m within the backyard, or staring vacantly out of the window — and a flash of one thing white and black catches my eye. I consider the Queen each time I see a magpie; and I bear in mind her magpie recommendation.

Though I’m solely very mildly ­neurotic about this query, I cross on her answer, right this moment, within the hope that it will likely be helpful.

The Queen had graciously allowed me to train in Buckingham Palace gardens, to get my wind again after being ailing. So I used to be telling her how beautiful all of it seemed — the lake, the geese, the roses, and for some purpose I discussed my paranoia about these solitary parti-coloured corvids.

It is bizarre how usually I consider the Queen, regardless that it’s now a 12 months since she died, writes BORIS JOHNSON. It is not that our late ­monarch has proved irreplaceable. Quite the opposite, the brand new King is doing an excellent job. Above: Mr Johnson is welcomed by the Queen throughout an viewers in 2019

‘Ah,’ she mentioned. Now I’m positive that every one her PMs would say that it was one among Queen’s nice presents that she might make you are feeling — no matter you have been telling her — that you just have been actually somewhat particular and attention-grabbing; after which to flash that great smile. Which is what she did now.

Once you have been along with her, you could possibly see why the aged ­Churchill had such a crush on her. You understood why Barack Obama was so entranced that he stayed up consuming along with her so late, they are saying, that the footmen needed to come and cough to point that the night was at an finish.

You felt that regardless that she had seen all of it, knew all of it, she additionally loved and appreciated politics in all its intricacy and absurdity.

After all I nonetheless cannot say something, for causes everybody understands, about her personal views — punchy although they generally have been. However I can say that her recommendation was grounded in deep data. We have been grappling at some point with the topic of Zambia, and I used to be attempting to recollect the identify of the late President. ‘Kenneth Kaunda,’ she mentioned immediately.

One other time we have been speaking concerning the final English monarch to guide his troops into battle. I might bear in mind the King — George II — however I could not ­bear in mind the battle.

‘Dettingen,’ she mentioned, like a pub quiz winner.

One night I used to be embarrassed to be taught that one among our ­exorbitantly costly F-35 fighters had blown a gasket on the deck of an plane provider (as a result of somebody had left a plastic masking over the air consumption) and plopped into the Med.

Who broke it to me? Not the MOD. Not my wonderful former Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace. It was Her Majesty who instructed me the unhealthy information — and if she was ­shocked by my ignorance, she did not let it present. She was by no means lower than supportive, and at all times encouraging, at all times fascinated by how others may be feeling.

Once you have been along with her, you could possibly see why the aged ­Churchill had such a crush on her. Above: Mr Johnson meets Her Majesty throughout a reception for the 2008 Nice Britain Olympic Group in 2008 

Boris Johnson makes his a lot praised tribute to the Queen within the Home of Commons final September

All of her PMs have had the ­surreal expertise of going to ­Balmoral, and watching Britain’s longest-serving monarch as she prepares her particular French dressing. We have now accepted from her hand the sausages barbecued by the Duke of Edinburgh, and tried to assist her pack all of it away in her particular Tupperware bins. I count on each PM has been fairly nervous on arrival.

The primary night we discovered a notice on the mattress for Carrie. ‘Ma’am,’ it mentioned helpfully, ‘Her Majesty might be sporting an ice-blue cocktail gown for dinner this night.’ I do not assume Carrie had packed something like an ice-blue cocktail gown, nevertheless it was a helpful piece of knowledge.

Later that night we had all gathered within the drawing room when our two-year-old rushed into the room, hair wanting fairly manic. There was a tiny ­Batemanesque* pause earlier than the Queen took him off to discover a beautiful previous crimson trolley — which had ­likely conveyed all types of royal ­toddlers — and peace returned.

It was due to her humanity and sympathy that you just felt, as PM, that you could possibly actually confide in her, inform her completely all the pieces, in order that the audiences have been a combination between a tutorial and a confessional, with a little bit of unpaid psychotherapy thrown in. I as soon as instructed her that I had a nightmare that I had been late for her and the Duke.

‘Oh sure,’ she beamed, and I might inform that she had heard this one earlier than, in all probability from different PMs. ‘Have been you bare?’ she requested, as a result of it seems that could be a ­frequent function of such desires.

If I needed to sum up the tenor of her recommendation, it’s that no catastrophe is ever actually irretrievable (simply as no triumph is ever ultimate) and that of their pure resilience and genius the British individuals would get by something, supplied — and this was the important thing level — there was the best spirit of obligation and repair and energy, virtues she exemplified all her life.

Our final dialog, the day I ceased to be Prime Minister, occurred solely a few days earlier than she died; and I’m instructed that there might have been a purpose for this. She knew in that summer time of final 12 months that her well being was now ­failing, however she was decided to do her job as monarch, to hold on till she had carried out the ­essential operate of seeing off her 14th UK Prime Minister (me), and ensuring that there was a peaceable and orderly transition to the fifteenth.

She succeeded in that, as in a lot else, as a result of she believed that by willpower and vitality we are able to form our ends and rework our fortunes: a lesson this nation maybe wants to recollect nowadays.

If I needed to sum up the tenor of her recommendation, it’s that no catastrophe is ever actually irretrievable (simply as no triumph is ever ultimate) and that of their pure resilience and genius the British individuals would get by something, supplied — and this was the important thing level — there was the best spirit of obligation and repair and energy, virtues she exemplified all her life. Above: The Queen greets Mr Johnson throughout an viewers in June 2021

As for my trivial superstition about magpies, she sympathised. She had it herself, she mentioned. Thus inspired, I unburdened myself additional.

It is that blasted rhyme — one for sorrow, two for pleasure, three for a lady, 4 for a boy, and so on. If I see a single magpie, I believe it is unhealthy luck, I mentioned, and I begin scanning the skies like an augur* for that essential ­second magpie.

Is that one there, or is it a crow? Does it rely? And which manner are they flying? Am I going through a revolt on the Proper or the Left of ­politics? All of it begins to change into somewhat time-consuming.

‘It is simple,’ mentioned the Queen. ‘What you do is say: ‘Good morning Mr Magpie, right this moment is… ‘ and you then give the best day and the best date. That does the trick.’

It really works — as a result of it typically takes an effort, within the morning fog, to recollect what day and date it’s. Upon getting, you’re accountable for the agenda.

Your thoughts strikes on. The ­solitary magpie is forgotten. So for those who get spooked by a magpie right this moment, inform him it is Saturday, ­September 2, 2023, and get on together with your day, ­fortified by some ­sensible recommendation from Elizabeth, our late, nice queen, who died a 12 months in the past subsequent week.