To royal watchers, state visits appear to be filled with pomp, ceremony and plenty of sparkling tiaras. But bringing world leaders and the Royal Family together doesn't always go quite so well, as explored in the latest episode of the Daily Mail's podcast "Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things." Some international guests at Buckingham Palace have caused a stir over the years, and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Kate Williams revealed one incident that caused Queen Elizabeth to lose her cool.
During an episode titled "Royal House Guests From Hell," Hardman shared that in 1973, the "shameless dictator" President Mobutu of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and his wife, Marie-Antoinette Mobutu, were invited to London on behalf of the British government. At the time, Britain was "very keen to get contracts for a new power station" Mobutu was planning to build.
