The Queen with Ted Heath and James Baker
(Picture: @BenABrittain)A clip of a G7 drinks reception showing the Queen roasting the former Prime Minister, speaking French and giggling with world leaders has been unearthed and is going viral.
The incredible clip, which is from the 1992 documentary Elizabeth R, shows famous faces including Princess Diana, Prince Charles and Margaret Thatcher mingling at a G7 drinks reception in 1991.
One section shows the Queen speaking French. Another shows Thatcher, at that point a backbench MP after her tenure as Prime Minister, greeting Japanese leaders and telling them she is “looking forward” to her trip to the country.
But the most extraordinary scene shows the Queen discussing the situation in Iraq and Saddam Hussein before the Gulf War.
Ted Heath, the then Prime Minister says: “I was absolutely blunt with him and I told him the situation... now I get a message back that he rather wishes he had listened to my advice.”
The Queen replies: “He [Hussein] is master of his own situation, is he?
She then is seen pointing at James Baker, who was the White House Chief of Staff at the time, and saying “he couldn’t go to Baghdad like you could”.
Heath replies: “Well ma’am, I went to Baghdad.”
“Well I know you did, you’re expendable” the Queen replies.
Reacting to the footage, people loved the Queen’s sense of humour, though they found it uncomfortable that Heath and Baker had consistently spoken over and interrupted her:
Tks @JonathanSamway, this is an arresting clip indeed. Like a scene from a movie, but they are all real.
— 💉 Peter FitzSimons💉 (@Peter_Fitz) July 23, 2021
And allow me to express my slight dismay, at those overbearing men, including Ted Heath, speaking over and interrupting HER MAJ! https://t.co/VsnkolYptJ
Oh my gosh, Ted Heath talking over the Queen, FGS! https://t.co/oxDRx1uUIV
— Susanna R (@SuseRichards) July 23, 2021
This is gold. Particularly love the Queen telling Ted Heath he’s “expendable” https://t.co/nJTREvRrif
— Rob Burley (@RobBurl) July 23, 2021
I have never seen or heard the Queen interacting like this, calling Ted Heath simply “expendable” now is 😂 https://t.co/L5wTWhRTZp
— Vincent McAviney (@VinnyMcAv) July 23, 2021
This is marvellous…especially Ted Heath being not at all deferential to HM at the end ….& she says ‘you’re expendable!’ https://t.co/PF8fbwyko0
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) July 23, 2021
My favourite moment was Her Majesty telling Ted Heath, jokingly, that he is “expendable”. https://t.co/l4TRVmbQty
— Mahyar Tousi (@MahyarTousi) July 23, 2021
Still absolutely reeling at Ted Heath talking over the Queen in this but her well timed retort is truly majestic. https://t.co/04sQkVYKk6
— Max Hardy (@MaxJLHardy) July 23, 2021
I’ve never seen this footage in which the Queen tells Ted Heath he is ‘expendable’. Brilliant https://t.co/C8mt1WfiMK
— Tom Payne (@TomEPPayne) July 23, 2021
Ted Heath and James Baker talking over the Queen to mansplain Saddam 😱 https://t.co/WcfbqKwHjE
— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) July 23, 2021
Meanwhile, another section of the video shows Princess Diana laughing with Barbara Bush about a photo opportunity which they said was just for “the boys”.
Her then husband Prince Charles, on the other hand, is spotted explaining: “[I’m going to] summer school again this year, but I’m quite pleased because I’ve managed to fund it from the sale of my own lithographs, my own paintings, so at least I feel I’ve earned it.”
Fascinating stuff.
