Funny Story: Queen Elizabeth Once "Hid In A Bush" To Avoid A Communist Dictator
Funny story about Queen Elizabeth II: At one point in her seven-decade reign, the Queen ended up hiding in a bush to avoid a Romanian Communist dictator.
She decided to hide in the foliage of her Buckingham Palace gardens to escape the controversial house guest.
In 1978, the Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu - a ruthless dictator - and his wife Elena traveled to the UK on an official visit where they met Queen Elizabeth, according to The Independent.
It was the first visit of a Romanian president to Britain at Buckingham Palace and the first communist president to be received on a state visit to Britain. But the visit of the Bucharest leaders was not to Queen Elizabeth's liking.
Contrary to royal protocol, the Romanian state insisted that the Ceausescu couple be received by members of the royal family in the official carriage, alongside Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Afterward, the heads of state were hosted at Buckingham Palace, where a banquet was held in their honor.
Funny Story About Queen Elizabeth II
According to the documentary "Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals", journalist Robert Hardman and former foreign secretary Lord David Owen made several revelations about the Romanian dictator's visit.
"She once told a lunch guest who in turn told me of the occasion when [the Ceaușescus] were staying and she took the corgis out for a walk in the Palace garden. An idea sprung in the monarch’s mind when she spotted the couple coming the other way: I really can’t face talking to them. So for the first and only time in her life, she actually hides in a bush in the Palace garden to avoid her own guests," Robert Hardman said in the documentary, according to The Independent.
Amused, Lord Owen recounts how the Queen couldn't stand the Ceausescu couple.
"The Queen puts up with having many different people, but Ceausescu was too much for her She made it quite plain she didn’t like that visit," the former foreign minister added.
Why Did The Queen Agree To The Visit
In their desire to expand their market in Romania, the British made several compromises during the Romanian dictator's visit, such as granting the Royal Institute of Chemistry in London an honorary title for Elena Ceausescu.
When Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu arrived for their state visit, they were greeted by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Victoria station in London.
They and the royal couple then rode to Buckingham Palace in an open-top carriage.
At the end of the visit, several cooperation contracts were signed, including in the aviation, oil, and automotive industries.
Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday aged 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Charles Philip Arthur George, born on 14 November 1948, officially became the new King of Great Britain and 14 other Commonwealth counties on Thursday afternoon, 8 September, following the death of his mother.
