Officials feared the 1997 general election could be plunged into chaos if the Queen Mother died during the campaign. Downing Street feared that with no legal mechanism for stopping the ballot, the situation could be "very difficult to handle" if she died close to polling day, according to files released today.
In the event, the Queen Mother, who was 96 at the time of the election which swept Labour to power under Tony Blair, was to live for another five years.
Alex Allan, the principal private secretary to Prime Minister John Major, noted "the most difficult situation" would arise if she were to die after Parliament had been dissolved for the election but before voting day.
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