Queen enters Brexit debate with plea for Brits to find 'common ground'

In a surprising intervention, the monarch said Brits should "never lose sight of the bigger picture", rather than focusing on divisive issues.

Although she did not directly refer to Brexit in her speech to an event marking 100 years of Sandringham Women's Institute in Norfolk, Royal-watchers said there was little doubt that was what she was referring to.

She said: "The continued emphasis on patience, friendship, a strong community focus, and considering the needs of others, are as important today as they were when the group was founded all those years ago.

"Of course, every generation faces fresh challenges and opportunities. As we look for new answers in the modern age, I for one prefer the tried and tested recipes, like speaking well of each other and respecting different points of view; coming together to seek out the common ground; and never losing sight of the bigger picture."

The 92-year-old said those approaches to life were "timeless and I commend them to everyone".

It is highly unusual for the Queen to make any comment on political matters, although she did also make a late intervention in the Scottish referendum in 2014.

Attending a church service at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral, she was overheard telling a small crowd of local people: "I hope people will think very carefully about the future."

Her remark was interpreted as indicating support for the campaign to keep Scotland in the UK, at a time when support for independence was growing.

The Queen was dragged into the Brexit debate earlier this week when Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested she may have to shut Parliament down if the Government allows a no-deal Brexit to be taken off the table.

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