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Britain went above and beyond to celebrate the dawn of a new millennium on New Year’s Eve in 1999.
More than 10,000 VIPs were invited to the Millennium Done in Greenwich, London, for a concert in the presence of then Prime Minister Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth II.
But the moment that sticks most in people’s memory is not the performance from Stephen Fry, or the spectacular firework display, but when Blair ‘broke royal protocol’ by grabbing Her Majesty’s hand for a rendition of Auld Lang Syne.
‘It is one of the most excruciating pictures of the Royal Family there are,’ Valentine Low said in an interview with Palace Confidential on the Daily Mail Royals YouTube channel.
‘The look on the Queen’s face and the awkwardness on Blair’s face.’
After working as the royal correspondent for The Times between 2008 and 2023, Low has poured his insights into a book called Power and the Palace: The Inside Story of the Monarchy and 10 Downing Street.
The royal author argues that Blair did not break protocol that evening as Her Majesty knew the hand holding was coming and, in fact, initiated it.
‘The thing about that is it was in the program,’ he said. ‘Everyone knew that Auld Lang Syne was going to be sung at the end of the evening but it got to the moment and Blair thought to himself, “Oh god, what do I do now?”
Valentine Low (pictured) has written Power and the Palace: The Inside Story of the Monarchy and 10 Downing Street
Tony Blair brings in the New Year by holding the Queen’s hand for a rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Low described this as ‘one of the most excruciating pictures of the Royal Family there are’
Queen Elizabeth takes part in the millennium celebrations at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, London, on December 31, 1999
Low continued: ‘As [Blair] is dealing with this quandary, essentially it was the Queen who raises her hands.
‘The curious awkwardness about it is everyone else crosses hands for Auld Lang Syne but for some reason the Queen didn’t. She is holding her hands out straight so Blair held her hand.’
New Year’s Eve in 1999 was ‘disastrous’ for a long list of reasons. VIPs waited for hours to get through security with some not even receiving their invite in the first place.
Sharing a further insight into Blair’s perspective of the night, Low said: ‘At the end of this long and difficult night, Tony and Cherie are getting in to bed and Cherie said, “Well, I thought that was marvellous. It was such a lovely evening.”
‘And Blair says: “All I can say darling is I am very glad these millennium only come round once every thousand years.”‘
To discover more about the royal family’s relationship with Prime Ministers such as Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Boris Johnson, click here to watch the full interview and subscribe to the Daily Mail Royals YouTube channel.
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