The Queen confused the Russian president for British journalist Andrew Marr during a state visit to Britain, according to reports.
Mr Marr revealed that, according to sources, Her Majesty had to constantly remind herself when speaking to Vladimir Putin that he was the foreign leader and not "that chap from the BBC".
The television presenter and political commentator told a Royal Television Society event the Queen had told a royal aide that while speaking to Mr Putin, she constantly had to remind herself who he was.
Mr Marr said: “[The Queen] and Putin were in the carriage coming from here [Parliament] to Buckingham Palace and because it as an open carriage and there was a translator everyone could see them talking as they went up the Mall."
The palace contact told him a royal aide had later said to the Queen: “Your Majesty, you were talking to the Russian President very vigorously – can I ask what you were talking about?”
Mr Marr said that Her Majesty had then replied: "I was just trying to remind myself all of the time that this is the President of Russia and not that chap from the BBC".
Mr Marr interviewed Mr Putin in 2014 on his Sunday morning breakfast show, during which the pair discussed Scottish independence and Europe as well as Russia's ban on gay "propaganda".
