The Queen has met dozens of world leaders during her 67-year-long reign, and has seen just as many journalists. However, the monarch has confessed she can’t quite distinguish Mr Putin from Mr Marr, the BBC journalist himself revealed. Speaking at a Royal Television Society event in 2016, Mr Marr revealed the Queen, when in the presence of Mr Putin, had to constantly remind herself the Russian leader isn’t “that chap from the BBC”.

Mr Putin visited the UK in 2003, during a controversial state visit which sparked demonstrations against the politician across the country.

While the Queen and Mr Putin were in the open state carriage taking them from the Houses of Parliament to Buckingham Palace, the monarch was spotted speaking quite “vigorously”.

One Buckingham Palace contact later revealed Mr Marr he was, in that poignant moment, at the centre of the Queen’s thoughts.

The broadcaster said: “She and Putin were in the carriage coming from Parliament to Buckingham Palace and because it as an open carriage and there was a translator everyone could see them talking as they went up the Mall.” 

A royal aide asked the Queen what she was speaking about in such a passionate way, Mr Marr said.

The broadcaster’s source at Buckingham Palace said the Queen replied: “I was just trying to say to myself all the time that this is the President of Russia and not that chap from the BBC.”

Mr Putin stayed with his wife Lyudmila at Buckingham Palace for four days.

The couple arrived at Heathrow Airport, where they were welcomed by Prince Charles, and were later given a ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade, attended by The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

Mr Putin, the first Russian leader to visit the UK since 1874, was not as welcomed to the UK by many human right activists, who protested against Russia’s involvement in Chechnya and its treatment of other minorities.

The Russian presidential couple also travelled to Edinburgh, where a protester threw himself in front of Mr Putin’s motorcade going through the Royal Mile.

Another private conversation between the Queen and a celebrity was made public by actor Michael Sheen, who revealed the monarch has quite a shocking way to signal when her guests’ time is up with her.

The actor told BBC’s Graham Norton about his meeting with the Queen in 2009, when he was awarded an OBE.

As he joked about feeling at ease at Buckingham Palace after having played Tony Blair in the film The Queen in 2006, Mr Sheen said: “You get in front of the actual Queen and there are all these rules you have to follow, the etiquette, you never have to turn your back to the Queen and all that kind of stuff.

“So I turn up, and she got someone next to her going ‘this is Michael Sheen, he is an actor, he played Blair in that film about you’. 

“And she comes forward and shakes your hand, and then she puts the metal on you.”

This was followed by a chat – which the Queen made sure lasted for a short amount of time.

He continued: “Then she asked ‘So what are you doing next?’

“And the truth was that I was about to do a film called Tron, but I thought that would probably not go down well with the Queen. 

“So I said I am doing another thing about ex-Prime Minister Blair and this is about his relationship with former US President Bill Clinton.

“And she got a little sort of sparkle in her eyes and she goes ‘uh, that must be awfully difficult’.

“And then she shakes your hand again, and because she must meet so many people and presumably a lot of people get a bit rabbit in the headlights with her, she does this thing where she shakes your hand and when is time for you to go she just kind of shoves your hand away.”     

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