A leaked footage that showed England’s Queen Elizabeth II calling Chinese officials “very rude” during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit last year brings to question the supposed “golden era” of the Sino-United Kingdom relations.
According to CNN, the Queen was caught on camera telling commander Lucy D'Orsi, the head of security who oversaw President Xi's visit, how Chinese officials were "very rude," particularly to U.K.'s first female ambassador to China.
The Conversation
CNN narrated how the Queen and D'Orsi's conversation went, showing a "rare moment of candor" from the usually diplomatic monarch.
"I'm not sure whether you knew, but it was quite a testing time for me," D'Orsi says to the Queen who confirms that she knows what the head of security was talking about.
"Yes, I did. They were very rude to the ambassador," the Queen says, referring to U.K.'s ambassador to China Barbara Woodward.
According to the report, the Queen had initially called it "bad luck" for D'Orsi to be assigned as the one in charge of security during the Chinese delegates' visit.
CNN further revealed that they tried to get comments from the Metropolitan Police but got none due to their policy of not getting involved in their officers' private conversations.
A spokesperson from the Buckingham Palace reportedly said the same thing about the Queen, stating: "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."
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang stated that the visit marked a "golden era in China-U.K. bilateral ties," adding that they had "no knowledge" of any threats that could have possibly triggered D'Orsi's remarks to the Queen.
According to Telegraph UK, China has already censored the footage which could launch a political storm between the countries.
The Visit
The event in question was the Chinese's visit to Buckingham Palace in Oct. 2015, an event which Xi believes had brought the ties between the two countries to a "new height."
Covering the event, BBC News reported how Xi and the Queen deemed the event to be very beneficial for both countries.
At a banquet in the Buckingham Palace, the Queen described 2015 as a "very special year for our bilateral relationship," referring to the U.K. and China.
Upon their arrival, Xi and the other delegates from China had been warmly welcomed British-style, complete with a royal gun salute.