When Putin Kept Queen Elizabeth Waiting For 14 Minutes And She Made A Snide Remark

Queen Elizabeth reportedly broke royal protocol after Russian President Vladimir Putin left her waiting for 14 minutes. The British monarch usually avoids any comments on world leaders, however, she made an exception for Putin.

The Queen has met Putin several times. Their most eventful meeting was during his state visit to the United Kingdom in 2003. Putin is known to be awful in timekeeping, and he made the whole Buckingham Palace nervous by keeping the Queen waiting for 14 minutes.

After a dog began barking during the visit, the Queen made a cutting remark at the Russian President. According to David Blunkett, the then Home Secretary, his guide dog reacted defensively towards Putin. Blunkett told the BBC, "The only time I met Vladimir Putin was back in 2003 on an official visit and my then dog barked very loudly. I did apologise to the Queen who was obviously hosting. I don't think I am giving anything away when I said, 'Sorry your Majesty about the dog barking.' She said, 'Dogs have interesting instincts, don't they?'"

The alleged response from the Queen would be considered as a break from the royal protocol as she and the Royal Family usually remains "strictly neutral with respect to political matters."

In June 2014, the Queen was seated away from Putin during a D-Day commemoration event in France. World leaders gathered at Chateau de Benouville in Normandy, which put the pair in an awkward position as months before Prince Charles was alleged to have compared Putin's rule to the Nazi regime.

The Queen was helped down a flight of steps by then US President Barack Obama and New Zealand's Governor-General Jerry Mateparae. However, the tension between Putin and the Queen was seemingly visible as the Russian leader, who was seen standing close to them, ignored looking in their direction and he did not even bother to help the monarch.

Meanwhile, in 2018, Russia remarkably criticized the Queen for downing gin, wine and champagne every day in a 'fake news' propaganda blast against the UK. Senator Aleksey Pushkov, an ally of Putin, stated that the monarch treats drinking like a "ceremony" while Prime Minister Theresa May has a brandy habit.

The Queen is claimed to be interested in Putin, as US President Joe Biden revealed she asked him about the Russian leader in June last year. Biden said they talked about a range of topics. The Queen asked him about his relationship with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, and Putin, which made it potentially the second time that President Biden had broken royal protocol by revealing their private conversations.