Embarrassment for David Cameron today after he was overheard describing how the Queen "purred down the line" when he told her Scotland had voted No to independence.
Sky News is reporting that in an embarrassing 'hot mic' incident, microphones today picked up the Prime Minister telling former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg - as he toured the Bloomberg offices in front of TV cameras - how the Queen reacted when he called her with the news on Friday morning.
Cameron said: "The definition of relief is being the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and ringing the Queen and saying, 'It's alright, it's okay'. That was something.
"She purred down the line."
The Queen will be furious that a private conversation has been relayed to a third party, and in such oddly belittling terms, although her official spokespeople have declined to comment.
Cameron also reportedly said that the Queen appeared to 'tear up' when he told her the news.
Mr Cameron then added: "But it should never have been that close.
"It wasn't in the end."The Prime Minister, who is in New York for the UN general assembly, then says: "I've said I want to find these polling companies and I want to sue them for my stomach ulcers because of what they put me through. It was very nervous moments."
The Queen remained publicly impartial during the referendum campaign, but she did warn a group of voters to 'think very carefully' about the issue before voting.
In her Silver Jubilee speech she said that while she understood independence aspirations, she wanted to see the UK remain united.
Cameron's comments will only confirm that she was in favour of retaining the Union all along.
A spokesperson for the Palace told the Daily Beast: "We wouldn't comment on an exchange between the Prime Minister and Her Majesty."
And the subtext to that remark, just in case you missed it, is: and neither should he!
Meanwhile, the British tennis star Andy Murray, who sent out a tweet on the eve of the referendum expressing support for the Yes campaign, has conceded he perhaps acted unwisely.
Asked today if he had any regrets about sending the tweet - which read, “Huge day for Scotland today! ‘No’ campaign negativity last few days totally swayed my view on it. Excited to see the outcome. Let's do this!” - Murray told the BBC: “I don’t regret giving an opinion. I think everyone should be allowed that. The way I did it, yeah, it wasn’t something I would do again.
“I think it was a very emotional day for a lot of Scottish people and the whole country and the whole of the UK, it was a big day.
“The way it was worded, the way I sent it, that’s not really in my character and I don’t normally do stuff like that.”
