‘Better for Her Majesty not to know’: palace letters reveal Queen’s role in sacking of Australian PM Whitlam
Governor general John Kerr canvassed Queen and her personal secretary about his powers to dismiss Gough Whitlam but did not forewarn them
- Read the palace letters in full
- What we know so far about the palace letters
Secret correspondence between Buckingham Palace and the governor general of Australia reveal discussion of a “last resort” option to dismiss then prime minister Gough Whitlam, but the final decision on the sacking was kept from the Queen as it “was better for Her Majesty not to know in advance”.
The historic trove of letters between the Queen, her representatives, and then governor general John Kerr in the lead-up to Whitlam’s dismissal clearly shows the extent to which the palace was drawn into Kerr’s 1975 plans to remove the Labor leader from office.
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