Video: Queen Elizabeth II Filmed Calling Chinese Officials 'Very Rude'

By R. Siva Kumar - 11 May '16 12:27PM

Queen Elizabeth II was snapped in a video complaining about the rudeness of Chinese officials while they had been preparing for last October's state visit by President Xi Jinping.

The British Monarch was filmed exchanging views with Metropolitan Police Commander Lucy D'Orsi, during the first palace garden party of the year Tuesday.

The "gold commander," as she was called, was overseeing security and emergency services during Xi's visit, the queen was told.

"Oh, bad luck," the queen said.

The trip, apparently, had been "quite a testing time" for D'Orsi, she explained. She said Chinese officials just walked out of a meeting with her and British Ambassador Barbara Woodward, just dropping the word to both of them, that "the trip was off."

"They were very rude to the ambassador," the queen said, also referring to the incident as "extraordinary."

D'Orsi agreed: "It was very rude and very undiplomatic, I thought."

As the entire conversation was shot by the monarch's official cameraman, Peter Wilkinson, it was released to the media by palace officials.

However, the video seems to be causing quite an embarrassment for Britain, even as its Conservative Government is trying to push through a "golden era" in its relations with China.

While Xi received a faultless British display of pomp and ceremony when he visited UK, the British government has been slammed for "kowtowing" to the Chinese.

According to the BBC, 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."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang mouthed similar sentiments, though he did not confirm whether the "golden era" was still on or not.

"President Xi's visit to Britain last year was a very successful one," he told a daily news conference. "Both sides have made great efforts for the success of the visit, and the two sides highly recognized that."

He refused to answer whether the "golden era" was still on or not.

"Both sides have expressed the hope that they would implement the outcomes of President Xi's visit and push forward a steady and stable rise of the bilateral relationship," he said. "This requires the common efforts of both sides."

BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt commented: "Blunt talking, in public, is normally the preserve of the queen's husband."

He said that in the '80s, Prince Philip had told British students in China that they'd get "slitty eyes" if they remained there. Even Prince Charles had explained that Chinese officials looked like "appalling old waxworks."