The Queen's sly dig at Vladimir Putin after he kept her waiting

By David Wilcock

The Queen’s sly dig at Vladimir Putin after he kept her waiting for 14 minutes: David Blunkett reveals how Her Majesty said ‘dogs have interesting instincts, don’t they?’ after his guide dog barked at dictator 

Lord Blunkett recounted the late monarch’s aside in 2003 after the Russian autocrat was 14 minutes late at Buckingham Palace. Putin is notorious for keeping his enemies and rivals waiting.

The Queen made a subtle dig at Vladimir Putin on his only state visit to Britain after he kept her waiting, a former minister has revealed.

Lord Blunkett recounted the late monarch’s aside in 2003 after the Russian autocrat was 14 minutes late at Buckingham Palace.

Putin is notorious for keeping his enemies and rivals waiting ahead of his arrival as an attempted powerplay.

But it seems to have left the Queen nonplussed at the time.

Blunkett, who was Home secretary at the time of the visit, is blind, and he told the BBC how his guide dog Sadie became agitated as the Russian entourage arrived.

‘The only time I met Vladimir Putin was back in 2003 on an official visit and my then dog barked very loudly,’ he said.

‘I did apologise to the Queen who was obviously hosting. I don’t think I am giving anything away when I said, ”Sorry your Majesty about the dog barking.”

‘She said: ”Dogs have interesting instincts, don’t they?”

The Queen and Putin were to meet again in June 2014 during a D-Day commemoration event in France.

The event had come just months after Charles was alleged to have presciently compared Putin’s regime to that of Nazi Germany, which seemed to have soured relations considerably.

After a group photo with world leaders, the Queen was helped down a set of steps by then US President Barack Obama and New Zealand’s Governor-General Jerry Mateparae.

Putin was the first world leader to congratulate King Charles III after his Accession Ceremony on Saturday.

The Russian President and the new King have had a particularly frosty relationship over the years, beginning in 2014 when Charles likened Putin to Adolf Hitler.