London:
In a rare diplomatic gaffe by the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II was caught on camera referring to Chinese officials to be “very rude” during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the UK last year.
Her comments, which were aired today, were recorded by an official royal cameraman during a Buckingham Palace garden party.
The 90-year-old Queen was discussing Chinese officials’ treatment of Britain’s ambassador to China Barbara Woodward during President Xi’s visit to the UK last October.
The monarch’s remarks were caught on tape as she was introduced to Scotland Yard Commander Lucy D’Orsi, who the Queen was told had overseen security during Xi’s state visit to the UK.
She is heard to respond: “Oh, bad luck”.
D’Orsi was recorded as saying, “I’m not sure whether you knew, but it was quite a testing time for me,” to which the Queen is heard replying: “I did”. The Queen went on to say to D’Orsi that members of the Chinese delegation “were very rude to the ambassador” and exclaiming: “Extraordinary!”.
The police commander agreed, saying, “It was very rude and very undiplomatic I thought”.
During the much-hyped state visit, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were honoured with a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, hosted by the Queen.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “We do not comment on the Queen’s private conversations. However, the Chinese State Visit was extremely successful and all parties worked closely to ensure it proceeded smoothly.”
Speaking in Beijing, Lu Kang, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, declined to directly address the Queen’s comments or confirm whether the “golden era” was still alive, Guardian reported.
“President Xi’s visit to the UK last year was a very successful one. Both sides have made great efforts for the success of the visit and the two sides highly recognised that,” Lu said.
