Downing Street staff were drinking well into the early hours at a boozy party on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral, Sue Gray's report says. Two leaving parties began the night before the funeral where the Queen was pictured sat alone in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle as her husband was laid to rest.
The report says that the last person didn't leave the number 10 party until 4.20am, WalesOnline reports. It began at around 6.30pm on April 16 last year when around 45 people, some of whom were online, gathered for the departure of communications chief James Slack.
The report says that staff had brought alcohol to the event. At a similar time, another event for a staff member who was leaving was taking place in the basement, as wine was laid out and music played.
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Throughout the evening the two groups mingled and eventually made their way into the garden where more than 20 people were present. Some people left after being encouraged by the No 10 custodians to depart by the rear exit.
But other returned inside and continued drinking well into the early hours. Exit logs showed that some of the group left after midnight, while others departed between 1.45am and 2.45am, with two staying on later - with one leaving at 3.11am and the last departing at 4.20am.
The following morning it was noted that a child’s swing/slide in the garden had been damaged. A Conservative Party source said the Prime Minister would not be apologising to the Queen during their audience on Wednesday, despite Sue Gray’s findings on the party held on the eve of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral. Asked if the PM would be apologising to the Queen during their call, a Tory party source said: “What does he need to apologise to the Queen for?
“We all know he wasn’t anywhere near … he was 50 miles away from the gathering that had happened on the eve of the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh.”
The source said it would be a “very odd thing” to be apologising on the eve of the Queen’s jubilee. “You can expect him to be far more positive and focused on the Queen than apologising for something he wasn’t even at,” the source said.
He apologised to the Queen in January when reports of the party first emerged, with Mr Slack also apologising “unreservedly for the anger and hurt caused”.
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