National Archives of Australia holds correspondence between Australia’s former governors-general and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. These are colloquially known as the Palace Letters.
Written during each governor-general’s time in office, the letters provide insights into:
- the personalities and events of the time
- political developments and public sentiment in Australia
- the workings of the Australian Government and parliament
- the official duties and responsibilities of the governor-general
- the relationship between the Palace, the Queen’s private secretary and the governor-general
- constitutional issues.
Accessing the letters
The Palace Letters of each governor-general become eligible for access once they reach the open access period.
You can access them via our collection database, RecordSearch.
A sample of selected records is also available on this page in PDF.
Letters of the following governors-general have come into the open period under the Archives Act 1983 and are now available for public access.
Sir William Deane (1996–2001)
- Sir William Deane – correspondence with the Queen (Part 1)
- Sir William Deane – correspondence with the Queen (Part 2)
The Hon William Hayden (1989–96)
- The Hon William Hayden – correspondence with the Queen (Part 1)
- The Hon William Hayden – correspondence with the Queen (Part 2)
Sir Ninian Stephen (1982–89)
Sir Zelman Cowen (1977–82)
- Sir Zelman Cowen – correspondence with the Queen (Part 1)
- Sir Zelman Cowen – correspondence with the Queen (Part 2)
Sir John Kerr (1974–77)
Sir Paul Hasluck (1969–74)
- Sir Paul Hasluck – correspondence with the Queen (Part 1)
- Sir Paul Hasluck – correspondence with the Queen (Part 2)
- Sir Paul Hasluck – correspondence with the Queen (Part 3)
- Sir Paul Hasluck – correspondence with the Queen (Part 4)