As the Royal Family prepare to welcome Donald Trump on a state visit to Britain, the Mail has been exploring the history of VVIPs who have received the grandest welcome the country can bestow. And not all of them have left a favourable impression on their hosts. Some were disasters.
In this week’s episode of the hit podcast, Queen’s Kings and Dastardly Things, Mail columnist Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams discuss how one guest appalled the late Queen by smuggling a dog inside Buckingham Palace.
It was the 1970s, when the whole of Europe was fighting the scourge of the killer disease, rabies, spread by the bite of an infected animal. Britain had managed to stay rabies-free due to draconian rules on animal movements.
This included holding pet dogs in a strict six month quarantine to make sure they were rabies free.
In 1973, the Tory Government of Edward Heath invited the African dictator President Mobutu of Zaire, to Britain in the hope of securing lucrative contracts for a new power plant.
The despot arrived for his state visit with his wife who shared a name with another infamous leader’s spouse – Marie-Antoinette.
No sooner had the couple arrived at the palace the royal kitchen received a call from Marie-Antoinette asking a footman – not to bring cake – but a plate of raw meat.
The palace staff were slightly baffled by the request but nevertheless obliged and made their way to the Belgian suite at Buckingham Palace where the couple were saying.
Queen Elizabeth II in the 1970s. The monarch had to put up with her fair share of bizarre state visits during the decade
President Mobutu visited Britain for a state visit in 1973 in the hopes the UK could secure lucrative deals to construct a new power plant
Queen Elizabeth II with President Mobutu of Zaire and his wife Marie-Antoinette. The Queen became very angry with the couple after they smuggled a dog into Buckingham Palace
When the servant dropped off the food, he discovered that this honoured guest had somehow smuggled a small pet dog in her luggage.
This was reported to Queen Elizabeth II who was so vexed by their behaviour that multiple members of palace staff claimed they had never seen her so angry.
Her instant response was to ‘get that dog out of my house’ and for their own safety the Queen’s beloved corgis were whisked off to Windsor.
It completely spoiled the atmosphere of the trip and caused a minor diplomatic incident which Mobutu tried to explain away during a speech at 10 Downing Street.
He claimed that his wife’s pet pooch was of British heritage and she wanted to show the dog its homeland.
To round off what was a pretty disastrous state visit, Mobutu went home to Zaire with £1million as a down payment for the power plant but the UK never received the contracts.
This week’s podcast also delves into the story of the Shah who cooked a sheep in his rooms and the bizarre moment Jimmy Carter tried to snog the Queen Mother.
To learn more about the Royal Family’s state visits from hell search for Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things – wherever you get your podcasts.
