The Queen Noted Chinese officials Are ‘very rude’ to the British ambassador Barbara Woodward

The Queen has been filmed saying Chinese officials were “very rude” during last year’s state visit by President Xi Jinping.

She was discussing their treatment of Britain’s ambassador to China with a senior police officer at a Buckingham Palace garden party on Tuesday.


It came after David Cameron was overheard saying Afghanistan and Nigeria were “fantastically corrupt”.

Buckingham Palace said the Chinese visit had been “extremely successful”.
Chinese officials in both London and Beijing also recalled the visit’s “success”.

The invitation to President Xi was part of the government’s policy of courting Chinese investment.
The Queen’s remarks were filmed as she was introduced to Metropolitan Police Commander Lucy D’Orsi, who the monarch is told had overseen security during President Xi’s visit to the UK in October.

She is heard to respond: “Oh, bad luck.”
‘Extraordinary’
An official went on to tell the Queen that Commander D’Orsi had been “seriously, seriously undermined by the Chinese, but she managed to hold her own and remain in command”.
Commander D’Orsi told the Queen: “I was the Gold Commander so I’m not sure whether you knew, but it was quite a testing time for…”

“I did,” the Queen said.

Commander D’Orsi continued: “It was at the point they walked out of Lancaster House and told me that the trip was off, that I felt…”

The Queen said: “They were very rude to the ambassador.”
Commander D’Orsi replied: “They were… it was very rude and undiplomatic I thought.”
The Queen described it as “extraordinary”.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman later 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.”

Royal garden parties are filmed by the cameraman who covers the palace for UK broadcasters.
The Queen with Barbara Woodward in October 2015
The Queen noted Chinese officials were ‘very rude’ to the British ambassador Barbara Woodward
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said that “at times it got a bit stressful on both sides” but that state visits were big logistical challenges.

At the palace, Ms. D’Orsi told reporters it had been “rewarding” to be thanked by the Queen for her work during the state visit.

She said the Queen and her own mother had chatted about the benefits of being grandmothers.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman has said it was not prepared to discuss a private conversation.
Reports censored

In Beijing, a government spokesperson described the trip as very successful, starting a “Golden Era” of relations.

Asked several times if that era continued today he neither confirmed nor denied it.
The Chinese Embassy in London said both sides at “the working level” had made great efforts towards the visit’s success.

At the time of the visit, the Queen hailed it as a “milestone” and declared Anglo-Chinese ties were being taken to “ambitious” new heights.

President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan were honoured with a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, hosted by the Queen.