Early on in the era of New Labour, it is claimed, Mr. Prescott was due at a palace reception to meet his sovereign. Among his Labour colleagues there was much speculation as to whether he would bow to the queen or defy what he surely considered the snobbish, southern tomfoolery of court etiquette. The moment arrived, the pair were introduced, and the queen politely greeted her deputy prime minister… in a suddenly tiny voice. Straining to hear, Mr. Prescott bent down. Oh, so John’s bowed then, murmured his colleagues.
— Bagehot’s Notebook: “Seen and Thus Believed: Britain Falls Back in Love With Its Dutiful, Tireless Monarch”
