THE Queen once made a thinly veiled dig at Vladimir Putin after the despot kept her waiting for 14 minutes. Her Majesty met Vladimir Putin at Buckingham Palace when he made a state visit to the UK in 2003. He made the Queen wait for 14 minutes for him to arrive at the Palace – which prompted Her Majesty to have a subtle dig at him later. According to then-Home Secretary David Blunkett, his guide dog reacted defensively towards Putin in the course of the visit. READ MORE ON QUEEN’S DEATHROYAL TITLES New titles for Harry and Meghan’s kids confirmed after death of the QueenFINAL MOMENTS Queen died with Charles at her bedside as other royals rushed to Balmoral He told the BBC: “The only time I met Vladimir Putin was back in 2003 on an official visit and my then dog barked very loudly. “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?’” Her Majesty and the Kremlin strongman were to meet again in June 2014 during a D-Day commemoration event in France. The event had come just months after King Charles was alleged to have compared the regime to that of Nazi Germany. 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. But Putin, who was standing next to her and was in a position to help looked away. It comes after Putin paid tribute to the Queen and extended his to sympathy the Royal Family after her death. In a letter to King Charles, the Russian tyrant passed on his condolences to the British people after Her Majesty’s passing was announced. Most read in NewsGOD BLESS, BENEDICT Late Pope lies in state at Vatican as thousands queue to pay respectsON THE RUN Huge prison riot as 30 inmates escape killing 14 in deadly jailbreak’LUCKY ESCAPE’ Andrew Tate ‘tried to lure ex-Playboy model to Romanian lair’ before arrestBIKE TRAGEDY Family of boy, 11, issue statement after child killed by bus as ‘mum screamed’ Her Majesty, who reigned for 70 years, passed away at Balmoral at the age of 96. Putin joined politicians, religious figures and celebrities from across the world who have paid tribute to her. In his message, he said the Queen “rightfully enjoyed the love and respect of her subjects, as well as authority on the world stage”. “I wish you courage and resilience in the face of this difficult, irreparable loss,” said Putin. “May I ask you to pass on sincere condolences and support to members of the royal family and the entire people of Great Britain.” President Joe Biden spoke of the Queen as a “source of comfort and pride” as he released a lengthy statement on her life. He said: “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era. “In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generation
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