It's a shame that so many people have come to defend what she said. After hearing this my view on the Queen mother has altered. I totally agree withJohn Talyor in the statement that it would be interesting to hear how the royals to talk about us 'plebs'.

Ken Tagoe, London, UK

The Queen mother had the privelige of top education and world travel-she also had a state function-so to compare her to your own grandmothers, and to dismiss the comments as 'thats just what people said' misses the point badly. Also check out her well publicised views on Southern Africa.

Tim, seoul, Korea

HRH The Queen Mother was typical of her times.

It was common of her generation (and for upper class women almost universal) to use racial slurs and hold racial stereotypes as true.

Keith S, Winnipeg, Canada

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the British royals "Huns" themselves? Their real surname, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha or whatever it is, sounds awfully German.

Sean, Tokyo,

The word 'bigot' referred to Protestant martyrs who refused to recant before being burned, often beginning with the words 'By God'. This earned the name 'by Gods' or, over time, bigots. It means someone who refuses to compromise their beliefs and is a grudging compliment. I am thus a proud 'bigot'.

Jack, Stamford, England

My grandmother (born 1898) was shocked by those words when she first ran into them as a nursing student in 1917--but they were common parlance. A "twinkle" might have been merely that HRH was saying naughty words--not bigotry. "Ghastly old bigot," though perfectly correct English, is far crueler.

Anne, N. Andover, USA

Tan, Germany and France are much bigger countries with more places to visit. Rainy ol' Britain would be even further behind without the Royals, have a look at the changing of the guard etc next time you're here if you doubt it. Gives tourists something to do when in London anyway!

Ryan G, London,

Our country is a republic, not a democracy.

Irene, Dallas, Texas, USA

I always find it amazing to hear people keep repeating the fallacy that the Royals are some great tourist draw. The fact is that Germany has the biggest tourist industry in Europe followed by France. No royals needed in either case.

Tan Zing, Paris, France

As`has allready been mentioned Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was from a different generation...
I remember some of that generation, I am 65...
and I am inclined to agree with Anne Kent of Dorset...

Maybe with Barack Obama in charge of the world, it will become a better place.

Roge Wheeler, Vallarta , Mexico

My Grandmother was very non PC and might well have said the same but was always kindness and charm to anyone who crossed her path.
Her Majesty was the same.It is called history Ed. It effects our language and attitudes then moves on. They went through a war.

Sarah, Wokingham, UK

"True democracy" gives presidents in America far more power than any figure has in this country. I don't feel strongly one way or another about having a monarchy, but i do think they they more than pay for themselves in terms of the tourist capital they bring in.

Jen, Cambridge,

Having just witnessed how empowering true democracy can be (care of the US election) the UK's indulgence of the monarchy is just so sad to see. Why do people give them respect, privilege, and vast sums and think its "good value for money"? consider if you'd invent them if they didn't already exist?

Edward Allen, Sheffield, UK

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was a wonderful person, we all have our own thoughts on the EU and Her Majesty was entitled to hers as well. Queen Elizabeth trusted this person and the Queens thoughts should have remained personal and confidential

Thomas Ellison, Palm Beach, United States

Our Royal Family cost us last year less than 66p per head last year. I find it amazing and so incredibly disrespectful that some of you can label the Royal Family as "scroungers" when they have devoted their lives to the service of this great nation.

S Boulton, Southampton, England

But...what if Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was right? It is much too soon to start tallying the score, given Europe's inglorious past.

It seems that this is a disgraceful attempt to assasinate the reputation of the beloved lady, to what end?
Why not let her...Rest in Peace?

Garth Rex, Glendale Heights, USA

Turns out she was right if we care to be honest about it.

Dave Madley, Alicante, Spain

How is it that the further to the left your politics the deeper hidden is your sense of irony and/or humour?

Patricia Smith, Beccles, United Kingdom

For all those Brits jumping to the Queen Mother's defence, I would love to know what she said about British "commoners" aka royal subjects, in private.

John Taylor, London,

I can only say that I would prefer the Queen Mother's company to that of people like mister Edward Stourton. I prefer people who don't gossip behind someone's back.

Peter V., Brussels,

The Queen Mother was a woman who deserves our love and respect; she devoted her life to her country and the service she gave is being undermined by the PC brigade.

How disappointing.

Georgr, Birmingham, UK

Cheap shot Edward.Always amazes me how these " private conversations " always surface after one of the only two people involved has past on !

John Ross, Melbourne, Australia

Having the royals living off the State certainly helps others to justify doing the same - a kind of 'if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me' attitude.

Ironically, penny for penny I think the common scrounger is better value than the royal scrounger.

Sharon, Oxford, UK

Latvia has fulfilled all the requirements to be accepted in EU. As a result, numerous industries are closed, a lot of land rented or sold to Danes,Canadians etc. 200,000 have left for studies and in search of jobs. And the 90th anniversary of the proclamation of Latvia approaching this month.

Nora, Riga,

Anne Kent actually The Queen Mother was proved wrong. Europe works extremely well, to the displeasure of most in Britain, but it works and it is only the UK that holds itself above Europe while gazing at it with envy and aligning itself with the USA

Lloyd, London,

Anne from Kent ,it was bigotry ,fullstop.

Antoine, Warsaw, Poland

Just to set straight the record, the official site has her as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and not HRH.

Denny Crane, Sydney, Australia

Lord Vansittart described her as a "dangerous reactionary" in his memoirs. And that was 50 years ago.

Ben, San Francisco, USA

"But I am afraid I froze" Stourton says. He gives the impression that there are a lot of things he's afraid of. A stiffening of the backbone is what the doctor prescribes for cases like his.

Brian G, Epsom, Surrey,

How sad. You have images of the Queen Mother touring the wreckages after Hitler's night air raids on London. How it may almost be better to not know too many details about our heroes. We need to have heroes but it is disturbing to know that they held or hold such prejudicial views.

Alfred Gomez, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.

In the early 1990's the Queen Mum was aged in her 90's and from a different era. Some people weren't up to date with what language was and wasn't acceptable. Also the BBC changes its mind all the time. Now 'gay' is OK as an insult and the word 'poofs' is suddenly fine according to the BBC this year.

Robert, Manchester, UK

Sorry Paul, are you suggesting that solely those on the left are capable of treating people of all nationalities as inidividuals and to judge them as such, rather than to use crude, racist sterotypical terms to describe them?
Left or right, that sort of talk is no longer acceptable and rightly so

Scott, London, UK

She was was born three years before the first powered flight, saw two world wars, was Empress of India and Queen of an empire that covered a quarter of the globe, and was a symbol of steadfast resistance against fascist invasion by "huns, wops, and dagos". This says far more about Stourton than her!

James Petersen, Sydney,

Sounds more like Edward Stourton is a revisionist bigot.
HRH spoke in that quaint old way known as frankness, probably with tongue in cheek as well.
Not like today's toadies who are afraid of what are, after all, mere words.

Tony Collins, Redruth, UK

The meanings and interpretations of words change rapidly. I doubt that her contemporaries would have said she was a bigot.

Mike, LA, USA

the Royal Family - the UK's real scroungers.

Phil, Reading, UK

1) Queen Mother dismisses foreigners as "Huns, wops and dagos"

2) Stourton says this made her sound like a "ghastly old bigot"

3) Stourton is the one to be condemned (as left wing/politically correct)

Riiiight...

You know, what some call political correctness others call common courtesy.

Steve, Cardiff, UK

A measley HRH? Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother would be mortified!!

adiestubbs, Perth, Australia

And people still do Ed which is why we consider the Today programme the bastion of left wing ideology.

Paul, Rochester, UK

HRH The Queen Mother may have used those terms for the parties however I strongly doubt that she was being bigotry.

The content of her remark regarding whether Europe will work ~ it is too soon to tell if she was right.

Somehow I don't think that she was wrong.

Anne Kent, Dorset,