.The Queen spoke about President Xi Jinping and his wife's visit last year
- .She said they were 'very rude' to the ambassador in the conversation
- .Her comments came as she spoke to Met Police Commander Lucy D'Orsi
- .Ms D'Orsi said she ran Chinese visit and Queen replied: 'Oh, bad luck'
- .China's censors 'black out' BBC World report on diplomatic incident
Chinese officials have fought back today after the Queen was caught out calling them 'very rude' during their state visit to Britain last year.
Her majesty made the unguarded comments about last year's politically sensitive Chinese state visit of President Xi Jinping in October, calling his team's behaviour 'extraordinary'.
Her observations have already been censored on Chinese TV and the country's embassy in London said the country had made 'great efforts' during the trip.
The Queen spoke out at a Buckingham Palace garden party yesterday when she met Met Police Commander Lucy D'Orsi, who ran security for the trip.
When she was told of Ms D'Orsi's role working closely with the Chinese delegation she said: 'Oh, bad luck' before saying they were 'very rude' to British Ambassador to China, Barbara Woodward.
Caught out: The Queen was recorded telling Met Commander Lucy D'Orsi that Chinese officials were 'very rude' during last year's state visit
Police Commander Lucy D'Orsi was Gold Commander in charge of security during the visit by controversial President Xi Jinping and his wife last October (pictured together at a state banquet)
The Queen has been caught out by her own cameraman making unguarded comments about last year's politically sensitive Chinese state visit
A report on BBC World broadcast in the country was 'blacked out' by Chinese censors overnight.
The filmed conversation also revealed she called the delegation's actions 'extraordinary' and that she was aware of the Chinese group's 'testing' behaviour.
Commander D'Orsi said this included one incident when officials stormed out of Lancaster House, close to Buckingham Palace an threatening to call off the trip.
A Chinese Embassy spokesman refused to be drawn on the Queen's views and said: 'President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK last year was very successful. Both sides at the working level made great efforts towards the success of the visit'.
The Queen's gaffe came shortly after David Cameron was recorded telling her that major recipients of British aid are 'fantastically corrupt'.
The Prime Minister told her that 'the leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain'.
Singling out Nigeria and Afghanistan for criticism, he told the monarch they were 'possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world'.
Hours afterwards the Queen made her own unguarded comments.
The Lord Chamberlain, The Earl Peel, introduced the Queen to Commander D'Orsi, and couldn't hide his feelings about about the behaviour of the sovereign's guests.
Nor, however, could the Queen who, remarkably, commiserated with Commander D'Orsi and complained how rude their guests had been to her ambassador.
Normally the model of discretion, the Queen's astonishing comments were picked up by her long-serving official cameraman, Peter Wilkinson, and the film fed to the national broadcasters.
The situation was all the more remarkable as she would have known by then that Mr Cameron had been caught out talking to her about Nigerian and Afghan corruption, also by her official cameraman, Mr Wilkinson.
In the footage the sovereign said it was 'bad luck' that Commander D'Orsi (left) was the Gold Commander during the state visit of President Xi Jinping and his wife last October
Commander D'Orsi said the couple 'walked out of Lancaster House' and told her the trip was off which she called 'rude and very undiplomatic'
During the unguarded conversation, Commander D'Orsi was also joined by her mother
Unsurprisingly when recalling the conversation to reporters at the garden party, Commander Lucy D'Orsi failed to make a single mention of the Queen's remarks and said they had just chatted about the difficulties involved in being a working mother.
She said: 'We were talking about juggling being a working mum.
'I said the diversity of my day, sometimes you are in charge of the Chinese State Visit and then at home in the evening you are at home being a mum.
'Then mum was talking about being a grandmother and reflecting...'
Her mother, Judith Copson, interjected: 'That you can give the children back in the evening and have fun with them by day.
'She said she thoroughly understood that.'
Commander D'Orsi said: 'They were both obviously reflecting on enjoying being grandparents.'
She added: 'For her to say thank you for all the hard work for me doing the Chinese State Visit is really rewarding.'
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said last night: '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.'
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed that the Chinese state visit 'got a bit stressful on both sides'.
Speaking on a visit to Gibraltar, Mr Hammond said: 'We had a major state visit last year, it was hugely successful.
'Big state visits are big logistic challenges.
'I was involved in this and yes, at times it got a bit stressful on both sides.
'But it was a great state visit - everybody agrees, hugely successful - and our relationship with China is very strong and has been greatly strengthened by the success of that visit.'
But there is little doubt that the Queen's recorded remarks will be of intense embarrassment to them.
Michel Hockx, director of SOAS China Institute, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show that some on Chinese social media believed the conversation was scripted - because the official introducing Ms D'Orsi to the Queen was reading from his notes.
'It comes across as very sort of scripted and unnatural ... the fact that it was caught on camera and being put into the public domain - so some people are saying 'Well, this Queen turns out to be just another politician anyway'.'
Referencing his own microphone issue when he was recorded describing voter Gillian Duffy as a 'bigoted woman' during the 2010 general election campaign, former prime minister Gordon Brown said after a speech on the EU in London today: 'Lots of politicians have problems when microphones are on. Even the Queen I understand.'
The royal mingled with other guests including Pastor Kofi Banful and Jayne Banful in the garden of Buckingham Palace, as up to 8,000 guests attended the first royal garden party of the year
The man who caught both the Queen and her Prime Minister out on camera yesterday was, remarkably, her official cameraman Peter Wilkinson.
The respected and much liked former ITN cameraman has worked with the monarch for 18 years - and was even made a member of the Royal Victorian Order by her for his services.
But although he has an office at Buckingham Palace and is well regarded by the sovereign, Mr Wilkinson is not employed by the Royal Household.
Instead he answers to Britain's three TV news networks – the BBC, ITV and Sky – who divide his costs between them.
Back in the 1990s, with the advent of 24-hour rolling TV news, the Palace and the networks came to an agreement.
Rather than have rival film crews competing for identical royal footage at big events – or missing small ones altogether – they would appoint a single cameraman to provide quality film of whatever the Queen might be doing and then share it.
That is why yesterday's troublesome footage could not be edited in any way.
David Cameron caught on camera admitting corrupt regimes get our aid cash
The Queen's comments come after David Cameron said he had 'fantastically corrupt countries' coming to London for key summit while chatting to the Queen and Archbishop of Canterbury at a Buckingham Palace event on Tuesday
Two major recipients of British aid are 'fantastically corrupt', David Cameron admitted yesterday.
The Prime Minister was caught on camera making the candid remark to the Queen at a Buckingham Palace event marking her 90th birthday.
He told her a summit in London tomorrow would see 'the leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain'. Singling out Nigeria and Afghanistan for criticism, he told the monarch they were 'possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world'.
Downing Street stood by the comments – which appeared to leave the Queen visibly shocked – saying the leaders of both countries acknowledged that they had a problem.
But Tory MP Philip Davies called for Nigeria and Afghanistan to be stripped of aid until they clean up their acts.
'It is completely unjustifiable for the Prime Minister to pour taxpayers' money into Nigeria and Afghanistan even though he knows they are fantastically corrupt, it is an absolute scandal,' he said.
The two countries pocketed £435million of British cash last year – despite deep cuts to public services here. Their payments have soared 35 per cent since Mr Cameron took office in 2010.
The Queen did not respond to Mr Cameron's blunder while the cameras were rolling
No comments:
Post a Comment