The late Queen Elizabeth II once hid herself in some bushes in order to avoid a guest who has been described as “too much” for her.
In 1978, Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu arrived in Britain as part of a historic state visit, which saw him become the first Communist head of state to have visited the country.
This visit took place despite him being a rather controversial figure amongst the public.
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According to royal journalist Robert Hardman, the press at the time were questioning the UK foreign secretary as to why Ceausescu, who they described as a “monster”, had been invited to the country.
Despite the bad press, the Romanian leader was invited to dinner by the British government as per regular protocol.
Elizabeth alongside her husband Prince Philip greeted Mr Ceausescu and his wife Elena at Victoria train station in London and took an open-carriage ride with them to Buckingham Palace.
The incident was described in ITV documentary Our Queen: Inside the Crown.
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Hardman explained: "She once told a lunch guest who in turn told me of the occasion when they were staying, she took the corgis out for a walk in the palace gardens and she could see the Ceausescus coming the other way.
“She thought, 'I really can't face talking to them,' so the first and only time in her life, she actually hid in a bush in the palace gardens to avoid her guests.”
Former British Foreign Secretary Lord David Owen said: "The Queen puts up with many different people, but Ceausescu was too much for her. She made it quite plain she didn’t like that visit.”
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