Actor Michael Palin has revealed Queen Elizabeth writes her "true feelings" in her secret diary every night. Photo / Getty Images.
Actor Michael Palin has revealed Queen Elizabeth writes her "true feelings" in her secret diary every night. Photo / Getty Images.
The Queen is said to make handwritten nightly entries into a private diary, new reports claim.
According to actor Michael Palin, 76, the royal, 93, made the revelation to him during an official dinner following his knighthood last month.
The Monty Python star explained how he was sat next to the monarch during an official dinner at Windsor Castle, when he revealed how he kept a nightly journal.
The actor revealed the royal spoke about making daily diary entries at night. Photo / Getty Images
To his surprise the Queen revealed that she also kept a private diary, which she spent 15 minutes writing her thoughts into at the end of each day before going to sleep.
Speaking to The Sun, Michael said: "We were talking about diaries after I had mentioned that I kept a nightly journal of where I'd been and the people I encountered, she said she did too, the difference being that while mine may have been for publication hers were definitely not."
"She commented that she found it quite difficult because it always made her a bit woozy and said, 'I usually manage to write for about 15 minutes before my head goes bump', and then she did an imitation of her head hitting the table, as if she had fallen asleep."
Michael Palin, 76, revealed he had dinner with the monarch after knighthood. Photo / Getty Images
Palin then revealed he was taken to Windsor's royal library, where an entry in King George V's diary read: "Had to see Churchill - again!"
The diary is described as "almost as valuable to her as the Crown Jewels", with its privacy reportedly strictly guarded by her staff.
The Queen is thought to have continued the royal tradition of keeping a - reportedly coded - diary, after witnessing King George VI write daily diary entries, something also previously done by Queen Victoria.
Michael was dubbed a knight by Prince William for services to travel, culture and geography as part of his post-Monty Python career. Photo / Getty Images.
Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.
In June writer and broadcaster Michael was dubbed a knight by William for services to travel, culture and geography as part of his post-Monty Python career, making him the first star of the sketch show to receive the honour.
The pair discussed travel, with Sir Michael resisting the temptation to crack a joke during the investiture at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.
"He talked about where I was going next, any parts of the world I really wanted to go that I hadn't already – to which I normally say Middlesbrough," the broadcaster joked.
Instead he went for the far-flung location of Kazakhstan.
So far, Sir Michael is the only Python to be knighted – but he said John Cleese has turned down the chance.
"I think I'll probably be the only one. John's turned it down. I think so, yes. He's rather mysterious about that," Sir Michael said.
It has not been confirmed that Cleese opted against becoming a knight, but he did refuse a CBE in 1996 and said it was a greater honour to have a lemur named after him than it would be receiving a knighthood or peerage.
Sir Michael acknowledged his honour was for his later work and praised others for recognising talents he was never aware of.
He praised the "rather wonderful" experience of receiving an honour, which he said would have been 'unbelievable' to his younger self 50 years ago when the Pythons formed.
'It's very, very nice to be recognised,' he added at the time.
