Buckingham Palace dragged into a row with historians over the fate of the late Queen’s personal letters and diaries – as the King entrusts loyal palace aid ‘Tall Pall’ with his mother’s private papers

Buckingham Palace has clashed with academics over the fate of the late queen’s personal letters and diaries.

The Mail on Sunday revealed that the King has entrusted loyal Palace aide Paul Whybrew, known as Tall Paul, to sift through the Queen’s private papers before they are transferred to the Royal Archives in Windsor.

But academics have described the decision as ‘deeply worrying’ amid fears that crucial historical documents could be suppressed – or even destroyed – without the public knowing.

A year after the queen’s death, an announcement has yet to be made about which historian will be tasked with writing Elizabeth II’s official biography.

It means that, at least for the time being, it is left to the Palace’s courtiers, rather than highly trained, impartial experts, to decide what should be preserved and what should be destroyed.

History lecturer Dr Alison McClean from the University of Bristol said: ‘The late Queen’s diaries have the potential to become an important historical resource.

“Mr Whybrow is undoubtedly a valued and trusted member of the Royal Household with an intimate knowledge of its inner workings.

‘However, he is not a qualified historian or archivist and may not fully understand the historical significance of the material in these diaries.

‘There is also a risk that he feels obliged to put his loyalty to the Royal House above the interests of historians and researchers.’

Biographer and historian Andrew Lownie, who is campaigning for greater openness of the royal archives, said: ‘The royal family has a history of destroying documents and there are concerns this could happen again.

‘It is important that an official biographer for both her and Prince Philip is announced quickly, with unfettered access to their papers, and that any censorship is done with a light touch.’

One high-profile historian, who asked not to be named, said: ‘This is a clear break from the way this has been done in the past.

“By doing it this way (with an assistant going over the documents) you hinder the biographer and the biography and decide that your judgment is more important than the judgment of a historian.”

Another well-known historian added: ‘We must not forget the enormous damage Princess Margaret caused when she went through the late Queen Mother’s papers.

“She built a bonfire, put the papers in black plastic bags and burned them – including letters from Princess Diana.”

An authorized biography of Queen Elizabeth II would be the publishing sensation of the century.

Insiders told The Mail on Sunday that frontrunners include award-winning historian Jane Ridley, who has written a biography of Edward VII.

Another contender would be British historian and TV presenter Simon Sebag Montefiore.