Hours after a similar gaffe by her prime minister, Queen Elizabeth II made an on-air faux pas by describing Chinese officials who visited the U.K. in 2015 as "very rude."
The Queen was discussing the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping with a senior police officer, who was in charge of security during the October 2015 visit, at a Buckingham Palace garden party on Tuesday.
The 90-year-old monarch was introduced to Metropolitan Police Commander Lucy D'Orsi. After being told of D'Orsi's role leading security during the Chinese visit, the Queen responded: "Oh, bad luck." She was then told by an official that the police officer had been "seriously, seriously undermined by the Chinese," while D'Orsi referred to the visit as a "testing time."
D'Orsi described an occasion when Chinese officials reportedly walked out of a meeting at Lancaster House. The Queen interjected: "They were very rude to the ambassador," a reference to the British ambassador to China, Barbara Woodward. D'Orsi agreed: "They were... it was very rude and undiplomatic." The Queen described the conduct of the Chinese officials as "extraordinary."
The Chinese government has not officially responded to the comments, but coverage of the Queen's remarks has been censored, according to the BBC . A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said that "the Chinese state visit was extremely successful and all parties worked closely to ensure it proceeded smoothly."
The comments rounded off an unfortunate day for the British leadership. When speaking to the Queen and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister David Cameron had referred to Nigeria and Afghanistan as "fantastically corrupt" ahead of the presidents of both countries attending an anti-corruption summit in London on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari described the comments as "embarrassing," while an official in the Afghan embassy told The Guardian that Cameron's remarks were "unfair."
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About the writer
Conor is a staff writer for Newsweek covering Africa, with a focus on Nigeria, security and conflict.
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