Updated

Buckingham Palace says it has complained to Britain's press watchdog about a story claiming Queen Elizabeth II wants the U.K. to leave the European Union.

Under the headline "Queen Backs Brexit" — a British EU exit — The Sun quoted anonymous sources as saying the monarch had told former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in 2011 that the EU was heading in the wrong direction and "left no room for doubt about her passionate feelings over Europe."

The palace said Wednesday it had written to the Independent Press Standards Organization to complain that the story had breached a prohibition against "inaccurate, misleading or distorted information."

The palace earlier declined to comment on "spurious, anonymously sourced claims" and insisted "the queen remains politically neutral."

Clegg called the report "nonsense."