The Queen has been hit by a mouse infestation at a Buckingham Palace pop up café.
Health inspectors found rodent droppings at the Garden Café where visitors sip Earl Grey tea on a terrace overlooking Her Majesty’s lawns.
Officials were urged to call in an extermination squad and teach kitchen workers pest control.
Royal fans who pay up to £49 for admission to rooms at the Palace sit beneath a canopy to enjoy £7 cream teas of smoked salmon and scones.
Also on the menu are bagels, cheesecake and posh pastries topped with a gold-dusted chocolate crown.
Coffee comes in cups with a Royal logo with a crown-shaped dusting of cocoa powder.
“It’s a huge treat – the closest most people can get to Her Majesty. So this is embarrassing,” said a source.
Inspectors found mouse poo under a sink and near a dishwasher and said it needed “immediate and ongoing” attention.
Sara Sutton, Westminster council’s director of public protection, said of one location: “I was informed this area was not easy to clean as staff were unable to mop due to a large electrical generator stored here.
“I believe there should be bespoke pest control procedures for the premises taking into account the limitations.
I would encourage you to continue to work with your pest-control contractor to ensure the premises remain pest-free.”
A spokesman for the café said they had now “adhered to the guidelines in the report to reduce and control the risk of pests”.
In June it was claimed that the Queen was “horrified” by a plague of rats and mice in the Palace kitchens.
