- [the Queen is refusing to go to Prince Charles's birthday party because Camilla Parker-Bowles will be there]
- Robin Janvrin: They have now issued an invitation to a *second* birthday party.
- The Queen: [smiling] I thought *I* was the only one with two birthdays.
- Robin Janvrin: It's at Highgrove, Ma'am
- The Queen: *She'll* be there, then.
- Robin Janvrin: It will be a less formal affair.
- The Queen: [grimly] I can imagine.
- The Queen: Tell them I have a prior engagement.
- [Ronald Allison, the Queen's former press secretary, is talking about the Queen's response to newspaper headlines such as "Your people are suffering. Speak to us, Ma'am" in the days following Princess Diana's death]
- Ronald Allison: The Monarchy doesn't just have to be there, it has to be *seen* to be there. It has to be shown to be doing something worthwhile. And it has to, at times, explain itself.