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year later, and it is believed in the Royal Household that she had to be practically carried, as she was reluctant to give up the Palace. For the first six months of Elizabeth II’s reign, she and Prince Philip lived in the visitor’s quarters in the Belgian Suite.
    By the time The Queen Mother had been ‘persuaded’ to move, Clarence House had been transformed into the elegant home it was to remain for half a century. William liked to claim that it was a combination of Her Majesty’s and his efforts that produced the sense of taste without ostentation that was exemplified in Clarence House. Perhaps, here again, there was a little exaggeration on his part.
    Her Majesty’s Household included a Private Secretary, Sir Martin Gilliat, a Comptroller of the Household, Capt. Sir Alastair Aird and a Treasurer, Sir Ralph Anstruther, whose job was to try and keep control of The Queen Mother’s spending – and also to pay the people who worked for her.
    There were a number of secretaries who went by the old-fashioned title of Lady Clerks and a press secretary, the delightful, if slightly unworldly, Major Sir John Griffin.
    These were the mainstay of the Household, with, of course, legions of domestic servants from housekeeper to footmen, scullery maids to Pages. As mentioned, William Tallon rose to become Page of the Backstairs, while his life-long friend, Reg Willcox, was Page of the Presence, an equally prestigious position.
    Both William and Reg were quite open about their sexuality, and The Queen Mother, like most of the Royal Family, was relaxed about their relationship or that of any other members of the Household.
    There is one often-repeated story that on one occasion , Her Majesty was waiting for her usual gin and Dubonnet, when she heard sounds of a loud argument coming from the Pages Pantry. Finally losing herpatience she shouted, ‘When you two old queens have quite finished, this old Queen would like her cocktail.’ True or false; it makes a good story and having known both men, it could well have been the former.
    When Reg Willcox died, he left his entire estate, which consisted mainly of property he owned, to William, who was bereft at the loss of his old friend and sparring partner.
    The Queen Mother did not replace Reg as Page of the Presence. She was content just to have William at her beck and call and he was happy to devote the rest of his career to her.
    Like all the other members of the Royal Family, The Queen Mother hated the thought of having strange faces around her. Her staff remained long after the mandatory retirement age, and only death brought an end to service.
    William became closer and closer to Her Majesty, without the relationship ever becoming in any way the slightest bit improper, in spite of snide comments from some quarters – and not all from tabloid newspapers – that theirs was more than a platonic friendship. But, he did tend to exaggerate her feelings more than a little. And he did have a fertile imagination. While there was no doubt that they were the best of friends from the time he entered her service, to the day she died in 2002, no one would believe that she returned what amounted to his near worship. She liked him, obviously. But they both kept the relationship on a mistress and servant basis, Her Majesty made sure of that. However, if the media, and anyone else for that matter, wanted to believe theirs was a love affair, evenin a platonic state, William was the last person to try and disillusion them. On his part, he was never heard to address her as anything other than Your Majesty or Ma’am. His demeanour was exemplary at all times and there was one occasion when he was blamed for something that was not his fault and which hurt him badly.
    On 4 August 2002, members of the Royal Family gathered at Clarence House to celebrate The Queen Mother’s 100th birthday. As was usual, the family assembled at the gate to acknowledge the greetings of the crowd and to watch the band of