Not all guests who have received a state welcome from the Royal Family have left a favourable impression on their hosts, according to a podcast. In the Daily Mail’s podcast, ‘Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things’, columnist Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams discussed how one guest even smuggled a dog inside Buckingham Palace.
According to reports, the mishap took place in the 1970s, when Europe was fighting the disease, rabies, spread by the bite of an infected animal. Britain had a draconian rule which included holding pet dogs in a strict six-month quarantine to make sure they were rabies-free.
In 1973, the Conservative government of Edward Heath invited the African dictator President Mobutu of Zaire, to Britain, along with his wife, Marie-Antoinette. But alarm bells were raised when a call was made to ask the footman to bring a plate of raw meat to the room.
The palace staff were slightly baffled by the request but nevertheless obliged and made their way to the Belgian suite at Buckingham Palace.
The servant shortly discovered his guest had a small pet dog in her luggage – this was reported to Queen Elizabeth II who was so vexed by their behaviour that multiple members of palace staff claimed they had never seen her so angry.
The Daily Mail reports the late Queen retorted, “Get that dog out of my house!” and her beloved corgis were whisked off to Windsor Castle for protection.
President Mobutu of Zaire attempted to explain what had happened during a speech at 10 Downing Street, insisting the dog was of British heritage and she wanted to show the dog its homeland.
