Queen Says Chinese Officials 'Very Rude'

The Queen has been recorded on camera making unguarded comments about Chinese officials just hours after David Cameron was caught on a microphone criticising Nigeria and Afghanistan.

The gaffe occurred during a garden party hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

The Queen was speaking to Police Commander Lucy D’Orsi, who was recounting a meeting she had with Chinese officials ahead of President Xi Jinping's visit to the UK last year.

When told that the Chinese officials had threatened to cancel the visit, the Queen responded: "They were very rude to the ambassador".

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed the Chinese state visit "got a bit stressful on both sides".

"But it was a great state visit - everybody agrees, hugely successful - and our relationship with China is very strong and has been greatly strengthened by the success of that visit."

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "We do not comment on the Queen's private conversations. However, the Chinese state visit was extremely successful and all parties worked closely to ensure it proceeded smoothly."

A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry also declined to comment directly on the Queen's remarks, instead describing President Xi's trip as a "very successful visit".

Foreign media reports of the story are being blanked out by Chinese censors, indicating officials are sensitive about the issue.

Sky News Royal Correspondent Rhiannon Mills says it’s "unusual" to hear the Queen talking about diplomatic matters.

"It’s worth pointing out that the person filming this exchange was Peter Wilkinson who is a cameraman based at Buckingham Palace.

"He is always the one that will film… the Queen's engagements. Maybe she was feeling very relaxed in that environment."

The Queen's remarks come after the Prime Minister was caught on microphone ahead of an anti-corruption summit describing Nigeria and Afghanistan as "possibly two of the most corrupt countries in the world" to the Queen .

Nigeria initially said it was offended by the remark, but the country's President Muhammadu Buhari has since conceded his country is corrupt .