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During her 70-year reign, the late Queen Elizabeth II got to meet world leaders from numerous countries. Some of those leaders also happened to be controversial figures who were not popular with United Kingdom citizens.

Although the queen never publicly shared her thoughts on the people she met, there is a story of a time when she hid in a bush to avoid talking to a dictator.

Royals are expected to be politically neutral

Royals used to have a lot of political power, but nowadays, they are merely figureheads. As a result, they are expected to serve their people and remain politically neutral. It is rare to find royals publicly sharing their opinions on political issues and other divisive topics.

According to Metro, there is no law that says royal family members cannot vote in elections, but many of them choose not to in order to maintain neutrality. Still, that does not mean they cannot advocate for voting.

In 2003, Queen Elizabeth encouraged Welsh citizens to vote after voter turnout was only 38%. Then, in 2014, when Scotland held an independence referendum, she urged voters to “think carefully” about Scotland’s future. Although they are no longer working royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also spoke out about the importance of voting during the 2020 presidential election in the United States.

Queen Elizabeth once hid in a bush to avoid Nicolae Ceaușescu

Romanian president Nicolae Ceausescu and Queen Elizabeth II leaving Victoria Station, London for Buckingham Palace, at the start of his four-day state visit to Britain
Queen Elizabeth II with Romanian president Nicolae Ceausescu at the start of his four-day state visit to Britain | Mike Stephens/Central Press/Getty Images

In 1978, Queen Elizabeth got a visit from Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena. According to the Independent, the queen and Prince Philip received the Ceaușescus, who stayed at Buckingham Palace during their visit.

However, it seems Queen Elizabeth was not too fond of her guests. In the 2020 documentary Inside the Crowd: Secrets of the Royals, journalist Robert Hardman and former foreign secretary Lord David Owen revealed that Her Majesty once hid in a bush to avoid the Ceaușescus.

“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 recalled.

When the queen saw the couple “coming the other way,” she allegedly decided to hide from them. Hardman added, “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.”

“The Queen puts up with having many different people, but Ceaușescu was too much for her,” Lord Owen said. “She made it quite plain she didn’t like that visit.”

Other controversial leaders Queen Elizabeth met during her reign

Ceaușescu was not the only controversial leader Queen Elizabeth met. As reported by CNN, the former monarch had meetings with several people criticized by citizens of the U.K.

For example, in 2015, the queen hosted China’s President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan. This led to protests in London against Xi’s alleged human rights violations.

When Vladimir Putin visited the U.K. in 2003 and met with Queen Elizabeth, people also protested the Russian government’s actions during the Chechnya conflict.

In 2007, Queen Elizabeth hosted fellow monarch King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Human rights activists were unhappy with Abdullah’s visit as his kingdom had a poor track record concerning women’s and LGBTQ rights.

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