‘Edward got on with everybody; he was easy to teach and very well behaved,’ Edwards recalled. ‘His elder brother was much more extrovert. There are some children who naturally get dirty and some who naturally stay clean. You can sit a child in a chair spotless and five minutes later he is dirty. Why? Don’t ask me. You can get another child who can spend an hour playing in the woods and he comes out looking like a bandbox, and Edward was one of those children.’

By now the Queen was a more confident parent than she had been when Charles was born, and she had developed a rare understanding of people and personalities gained from her years on the throne, which she now applied to her own children. ‘Some parents who gave their children to nannies hardly know their children at all, but the Queen knew hers,’ Edwards confirmed. ‘She’s very on the ball and she’s one of the best raconteurs I’ve ever met – terribly funny.’ He added: ‘Prince Philip appeared, but not as much as the Queen. She determined and controlled their early schooling. I discussed their school reports with her rather than him.’

The Queen did not pick up her children from school on their days out, but she always took them back. ‘She used to drive herself in her green Vauxhall station wagon with her detective Perkins beside her,’ Edwards said. ‘She would always come into my study and have a chat about anything and everything. When she talked about the children, she was totally aware of their shortcomings and was extremely patient.

‘One thing she absolutely insisted on, however, was good manners, and it showed. The Queen never let them down. She came to every single school sports day, play and carol service that we had. And over nine years that is good. She only missed one and that was when Edward was playing the part of Saul in The Boy David and she was on tour in Australia on a state [sic] visit. So the Queen Mother came instead.’