A new ITV documentary, "Insider the Crown: Secrets of the Royals," which aired on May 21, reveals stories about the British royal family.
In one episode, journalist Robert Hardman and former foreign secretary Lord David Owen recalled when Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena Ceaușescu, made a state visit to the UK in 1978.
The Ceaușescus stayed with the Queen and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace, and the Queen later shared how she hid in a bush to avoid running into the couple while she was walking her corgis.
Their visit was controversial because it was the first time a communist leader made an official visit to the UK.
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The Queen once went to extreme measures to avoid a controversial house guest, hiding in the foliage of her Buckingham Palace gardens.
In 1978, Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu traveled to the UK with his wife, Elena Ceaușescu, for a state visit.
It was a historic occasion, marking the first time a communist head of state had made a state visit to the UK.
In the documentary Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals, which aired on ITV on Thursday, 21 May, journalist Robert Hardman and former foreign secretary Lord David Owen recalled how one day during the visit, Queen Elizabeth II had an adverse reaction to coming across the Ceaușescus while taking her dogs for a walk.
"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," Hardman said.
The journalist said that an idea sprung in the monarch's mind when she spotted the couple "coming the other way."
According to Hardman, the Queen thought "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."
Lord Owen laughed as he described the Queen's encounter with the Ceaușescus in the documentary.
"The Queen puts up with having many different people, but Ceaușescu was too much for her," he said.
"She made it quite plain she didn't like that visit," the former foreign secretary added with a chuckle.
When Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu 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.
It was recently reported that the royal family's income may be hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson stated that the royal family are "no exception" when it comes to the financial impact of the pandemic.
"The whole country is very likely to be impacted financially by coronavirus and the royal household is no exception," the spokesperson said.
"However, the time to address this issue will be when the full impact of all the implications of the current situation is clearer."
Joesdad65 on May 29th, 2021 at 12:47 UTC »
Considering how they were executed by their own people (on Christmas day no less), it seems she understood how repugnant they were.
breakwater99 on May 29th, 2021 at 08:28 UTC »
Her Highness would never hide in a bush, she concealed herself in a shrubbery.
DryCoughski on May 29th, 2021 at 06:11 UTC »
I remember reading about him and his wife having a particularly bad Christmas one year.