Australian prime minister Scott Morrison tells Queen Elizabeth II she was ‘quite the hit’ at G7 dinner
Scott Morrison tells Queen Elizabeth II that G7 leaders “were thrilled to see her in” in audience at Windsor Castle overnight.
Scott Morrison told the Queen that she was “quite the hit” and that “everyone was talking about you at dinner the next night” in an extraordinary conversation at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
Mr Morrison, who in a previous meeting bonded with the Queen over a discussion about champion thoroughbred Winx, felt comfortable enough overnight (AEST) to attempt to flatter the Queen, reassuring her about her success among the world leaders US president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian prime minister Mario Draghi and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau at the G7 drinks reception on Friday evening.
The Queen, 95, appeared slightly taken aback by the unprompted comments, and looked down at the floor before muttering “oh Lord, were they really?”
Mr Morrison was the first person to be received by the Queen in person at Windsor Castle’s Oak room since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020.
The Queen welcomed Mr Morrison, saying: “It’s very nice to see you, in person this time.”
Mr Morrison responded: “Yes, Your Majesty, it’s wonderful to see you.”
The Queen then pointed to the floor, saying: “If you stand here, they want to take a photo.”
Mr Morrison replied: “That would be lovely” and shuffled across to stand alongside the Queen.
The Queen said: “So you were down there but I didn‘t see you, in Cornwall”, to which Mr Morrison explained “No, that was just the G7, Your Majesty. We were sort of an extension party, as they call them.”
Mr Morrison was not invited to the smaller gathering of G7 leaders on the Friday evening, which the Queen and other members of the Royal family attended, but joined the G7 the next day for “extension meetings” and a BBQ on the beach.
Mr Morrison then felt emboldened to say: “You were quite the hit, everyone was talking about you at dinner the next night.”
The Queen, who was wearing a yellow floral dress and a beautiful brooch, known as the Australian Wattle, given to her by the people of Australia during her Coronation tour in 1954, looked slightly stunned and said: “Oh Lord, were they really?‘ Mr Morrison added: “They were, they were thrilled to see you.”
The pair then began their closed door conversation, details of which were not disclosed, but the 20-minute scheduled meeting went for nearly 40 minutes.
It can be presumed that the UK-Australian trade deal, announced just hours earlier by the UK prime minister Boris Johnson, would have been a topic of conversation.
While Mr Morrison’s comments may have some Royal protocol officers bristling, there have been other more overt eyebrow-raising moments from world leaders.
In 2009, the US First Lady Michelle Obama embraced the monarch but Buckingham Palace said the gesture was a “mutual and spontaneous display of affection and appreciation”.
Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating put his arm around the Queen in 1992 for which the British press labelled him the “Lizard of Oz”.
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