Great Britain's Queen Elisabeth II took drastic steps to avoid meeting Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu any more than necessary during his 1978 state visit, reveals a book written by the Daily Mail writer Robert Hardman, according to the newspaper.

“While walking her dogs in the Palace gardens, she spotted Ceausescu and his wife Elena heading in her direction. As the Queen told a lunch guest some years later, she decided the best course of action was to hide behind a bush rather than conduct polite conversation,” according to the Daily Mail.

She behaved similarly on other occasions during visits of other heads of state. Read the full Daily Mail article here.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Romanian Communism Online Photo Collection)