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Hello, I'm Angus Colwell

And welcome to Spectator Out Loud

Each week, a few of our favourite writers read their pieces

From the latest issue of the magazine.

This week, we'll hear from Robert Hardman on why the Queen is a silent radical.

Marian Thomas on the sorry state of general practice, and Sarah Dighton on feminism's biggest problem.

First up is Robert Harbin.

Long before domestic woes and an inferno at Windsor had prompted the Queen to describe

1992 as her Annas Horribilis, she had a very frank discussion with her Prime Minister, John Major.

On this particular matter, she made it clear that she was not interested in ministerial advice.

Her mind was made up.

She had decided to pay income tax. For the best part of two years, through war in the Gulf and a recession, sections of the media had been painting a picture of a spoiled, profligate

royal family carrying on without a care. Every long-range snap of a

shooting party, or of the Duchess of York on another holiday, was taking its toll, and would be

conflated with the issue of money. As her then-press secretary, Charles Anson told me,

day after day, every other story would be followed up with, What's more, the Queen doesn't pay tax?

The Queen felt impelled to act, even if her Prime Minister was not in favour of the idea.

The fact of the matter is we would not have required the Queen to pay tax.

I did not require the Queen to pay tax, Sir John said, when I discussed it with him

...