Overview

• The latest Palace Confidential edition features Kay’s behind-the-scenes recollections of the Queen’s private 70th birthday plan.
• He describes how his 1996 Daily Mail report on a Thames boat trip to the Waterside Inn unintentionally spoiled the surprise celebration.
• His article prompted uproar at Buckingham Palace, with Prince Philip reprimanding the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting for speaking with him.
• Kay notes he was discreetly asked to avoid the Queen at a subsequent garden party while tensions smouldered.
• He confirms that earlier suspicions about Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson leaking details were misplaced.