THE Queen has long been praised for her composure in all situations, especially when meeting with guests in public or at Buckingham Palace.
But according to a royal expert, the Monarch, 94, was forced to "hide in a bush" on one occasion to avoid an awkward encounter with one of her controversial guests.
The guest in question was Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu who was invited to the UK for a four-day state visit in 1978.
But royal author Robert Hardman claims it had sparked criticism and concern from the public at the time, with concerns about the Queen having to host him and his wife Elena.
Speaking on ITV's The Queen: Inside the Crown, Robert said: "The press started to question the foreign secretary David Owen, and were saying 'why are we inviting this monster to come to Britain."
But despite concerns, the Queen and Prince Philip welcomed the couple upon their arrival and even treated them to a carriage ride back to Buckingham Palace where they'd stayed.
According to Express.co.uk, Her Majesty maintained her composure when in public with the dictator but he appeared a bit too much for her throughout his stay at the palace.
The royal writer said "She once told a lunch guest who in turn told me, on the occasion when they were staying she took the corgis out for a walk in the Palace gardens and she could see the Ceaușescus coming the other way.
"She thought 'I really can't face talking to them', so the first and only time in her life, she actually hid in a bush in the palace gardens to avoid her guests."
Lord David Owen also added that the Queen "puts up with many different people, but Ceaușescu was too much for her.
"She made that quite plain, she didn't like that," he said.
At the time Romania pledged £300 million worth of aerospace contracts in a bid to boost the British economy. So the Queen was reportedly forced to welcome the dictator into her home.
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