Queen Elizabeth II may be the epitome of grace when it comes to dealing with foreign dignitaries as the longest-reigning monarch in history. However, there was one incident where the Queen resorted to an unusual move to avoid one of her foreign guests.
According to a report by Express UK, the Queen resorted to hiding behind a bush to avoid making polite conversation with Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife during their state visit to the U.K. at the invitation of then-Labor Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
The incident, reportedly, took place after the dignitaries were done with formal greetings. Robert Hardman of The Spectator recounted the details of the incident in his 2018 book titled Queen of the World.
The Queen, reportedly, had a negative impression of his Romanian guests for a good reason. Prior to their arrival in the Palace, it was believed that French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, already, gave the Queen a heads up about the events that transpired during the couple's diplomatic visit to Paris.
The French president, allegedly, told the Queen that the couple looted their quarters and hacked the walls for suspected bugging devices. This prompted the Queen to instruct the royal staff to move silver brushes from the Palace dressing table, lest the Romanians would pinch the lot.
It can be recalled that Ceausescu and his wife were the last people to be executed in their country in 1989 for the illegal acquisition of wealth. They were also found guilty of genocide. Capital punishment was abolished in Romania 12 days after their death.
The Queen, who is used to being in charge, also reportedly shocked a visiting King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia when she took the wheel and drove for the Middle East monarch during his U.K. visit.
Instead of being impressed though, the King of Saudi Arabia expressed reservations about the competencies of the Queen, who, unknown to him, was an Army driver in wartime. As the Queen reportedly accelerated the Land Rover along the narrow Scottish estate road, the King, allegedly, asked his translator to ask the Queen to slow down and concentrate on the road.
Critics have hailed Hardman's book titled Queen of the World for details that would become important for any historian of modern Britain. The book is described as extensive access to the Queen's family and staff, which is full of drama, intrigue, exotic and even dangerous situations, heroes, rogues, pomp, and glamour. The book describes the Queen as a woman who has genuinely won the hearts of the world, Goodreads stated.
