But Royal commentators insist the Queen had a duty to speak out on behalf of those in need.
Penny Junor, who has written biographies of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, said: "The Queen is not stupid and would never stray into the world of party politics. I think most people will agree with what she said."
Hugo Vickers, the historian and royal biographer, described the Queen's comments as "sensitive and sensible". He said: "The Queen is allowed to speak, and if people want to pretend she said something political that is what they will do."
Prof Simon last night said he told the Queen about his field of expertise, which involves working with poor people, particularly in Africa.
He said they also discussed the recent flooding in England, how it affected those caught up in it, and how people here are much more able to recover from challenges, due to help such as insurance.
He said: "I don't think she was trying to be overtly political - it was just a sign of her compassion as far as I was concerned."
Alison Garnham, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, supported the Queen's comments, saying: "I think it's simply an accurate observation, something that we're certainly seeing in our work and which people see increasingly in their communities, such as more families receiving emergency food aid."
But Graham Smith of anti-Monarchy group Republic called her comments 'crass'.
"It's a criticism of Government policy, and the rights and wrongs of Government policy aren't what she's supposed to speak on," he said.
- Mail On Sunday
