Queen Elizabeth was known for her patience and unflappable personality, and it took a great deal to rattle the late monarch. But in 1978, that changed when Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena, were invited for a state visit by the British government. Official photographs from the trip show stiff smiles and an awkward carriage ride through London with the late Queen, and behind the scenes, it was equally uncomfortable. Ceaușescu might've been treated with the pomp of a ceremonial royal welcome, but according to a new podcast, he was arguably the worst palace guest in modern royal history.
Historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams unveiled the story in the Daily Mail's "Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things" podcast. During the two-part episode—titled "Royal Houseguests From Hell"—the duo described past nightmare visits, including President Mobutu of Zaire, whose wife illegally brought a dog into the U.K. Ironically, canines came up again during the Ceaușescus' visit.
Hardman described Nicolae Ceaușescu as "the psychopath running communist Romania in the Cold War period." The historian noted that Nicolae and his wife, Elena, ruled over "Romania with a rod of iron."
Before the couple arrived in London, Queen Elizabeth got a call from the president of France at the time, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who'd recently received the Ceaușescus—"and he said they trashed the place," Hardman shared.
"It was as though burglars had moved in and torn the place apart. Not only that, but they hacked great holes in the walls because they were convinced they were being bugged," the historian continued. Apparently, Queen Elizabeth was so upset by the story she said, "If it moves, I want it taken out of the Belgian Suite," referring to the opulent rooms where guests stay for state visits.
"So finally they arrive and everyone is just dreading this couple, and they don't disappoint," Hardman continued. "They're utterly humorless and charmless from the start." Queen Elizabeth disliked them so much that, in an act of "quiet rebellion," avoided bringing out the good wine during their visit. She also made a "dig" with the menu by referencing the Romanian royal family in a fish dish, which was banned from being mentioned by the Ceaușescus.
Elena—who was called "a viper" by the British ambassador in a letter to the late Queen—and her husband would go outside in the palace gardens to have any conversations because they were convinced they were being bugged, the historian added.
Sir Antony Jay told Hardman that Queen Elizabeth once revealed the extreme lengths she went to avoid the dictator and his wife.
"When the Ceaușescus were there, she'd been out in the garden walking the corgis as she liked to do, and at one point she saw them coming the other way," Hardman said he was told by Jay.
Queen Elizabeth "found them so objectionable, so charmless, she had absolutely nothing to say to them," Hardman continued, adding for "the only time in her entire life, she hid behind a bush in her own garden in order to avoid her houseguests. They were that bad."
"The whole visit was a sham," Hardman said, adding that the huge aviation contracts that were the point of their trip never materialized. Just over a decade later, in 1989, the dictator and his wife were overthrown and executed by a firing squad.
