Vladimir Putin and The Queen’s instincts

What was Queen Elizabeth II's remark about Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visited the United Kingdom in 2003? Here's the story. 

Queen Elizabeth II with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to the UK. He shakes hands with then-British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. Image from Wikimedia Commons

Queen Elizabeth II is an excellent judge of character Once The Queen made a remark about Russian president Vladimir Putin when he visited the United Kingdom in 2003. For this visit, the Russian leader made Palace officials nervous by keeping The Queen waiting for 14 minutes!

Then, David Blunkett, the Home Secretary at the time of Vladimir Putin’s visit, told the BBC that his guide dog reacted defensively towards Putin.

“The only time I met Vladimir Putin was back in 2003 on an official visit and my then dog barked loudly,” Blunkett 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 day?’” The Queen was right. Indeed, they do.