The Queen Mother ‘didn’t sleep a wink’ and was very supportive when her hip surgeon made the switch to a woman, claims ballet dancer Wayne Sleep.
Top British hip replacement specialist Sarah Muirhead-Allwood, known for performing complex hip resurfacings and unusual hip replacements, first operated on the Queen Mother before making the switch.
Then known as William, she was called in in 1995 to perform a hip replacement on the Queen Mother at London’s King Edward V11 Hospital for Officers.
The following year, Muirhead-Allwood began transitioning and was living as a woman when the Queen Mum returned in 1998 to have her other hip replaced.
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, watches the march past on the occasion of her birthday in 1987
Pictured: Wayne Sleep, who claims the Queen Mother ‘didn’t turn a blind eye’ and was very supportive when her hip surgeon made the switch to a woman
Sleep, 76, revealed the Queen Mother’s reaction to the specialist’s new identity, saying she asked Muirhead-Allwood: “Oh William, what do I call you now, darling?”
“She said, ‘Sarah, ma’am.’ She said, ‘Oh Sarah, do the other hip – the other one was such a success.’ The Queen Mother didn’t blink an eye.”
As well as The Queen Mother and Mr Sleep, Muirhead-Allwood also saved the tennis career of Sir Andy Murray, who became the first men’s singles player to continue playing at a high level after his hip resurfaced five years ago.
At the age of 95, the Queen Mother became one of the oldest people in the world when she underwent the very delicate operation for the first time.
Muirhead-Allwood worked with her personal specialist Roger Vickers during the 90-minute procedure.
Prince William, left, accompanies his great-grandmother the Queen Mother as she waves after attending a thanksgiving service in 2000
The Queen Mother was able to leave hospital after 18 days and stood unassisted on the hospital steps to wave to the cameras.
Sleep, who spoke to the Mail on Sunday at the launch of his memoir Just Different, was briefed on the Queen Mother’s reaction to Muirhead-Allwood’s transition by the surgeon himself.
He said: ‘The Queen Mother was fantastic – she always had feathers, boas and bling everywhere.
“She was a real, I mean, she didn’t look like a drag queen, but she could have been. She was camp. She loved the glitz of being a real woman. The more bling, the better!’