Queen Elizabeth II said Tuesday that Chinese officials were "very rude" to the British ambassador to China during President Xi Jinping's state visit to Great Britain in 2015, according to the
BBC News.
The comments were filmed during a garden party at Buckingham Palace where the queen was talking with Metropolitan Police Commander Lucy D'Orsi during their introduction, noted the BBC News. The Metropolitan Police oversaw security during President Xi's visit.
Queen Elizabeth's official cameraman Peter Wilkinson reportedly recorded the conversation and released it to media outlets under a pool coverage arrangement, reported the
Washington Post. D'Orsi was introduced as the "gold commander" during the Chinese delegation visit, in which the queen responded, "Oh, bad luck," wrote the newspaper.
D'Orsi described her working with the Chinese as "quite a testing time" and recalled how their officials had cut off a meeting with her and British Ambassador Barbara Woodward, telling them "the trip was off," stated the Post.
"They were very rude to the ambassador," Queen Elizabeth said during the exchange, reported the Post, calling the Chinese officials' actions "extraordinary."
"It was very rude and very undiplomatic, I thought," D'Orsi responded, according to the Post.
The BBC News said Buckingham Palace declined to elaborate on the queen's remarks afterward.
"We do not comment on the Queen's private conversations," a palace representative told the BBC News. "However, the Chinese state visit was extremely successful and all parties worked closely to ensure it proceeded smoothly."
Lu Kang, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry in Beijing, declined to address the queen's comments on Wednesday, reported
The Guardian.
"President Xi's visit to the U.K. last year was a very successful one," Lu told The Guardian. "Both sides have made great efforts for the success of the visit and the two sides highly recognized that."
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