The Queen was right to call the Chinese security officials rude – after facing them myself, I agree

I joined David Cameron on a trade mission to China, and was shocked by the behaviour of the Chinese security guards

The Queen speaks to David Cameron during a reception in Buckingham Palace, as Chris Grayling (R), leader of the House of Commons John Bercow (L) and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (C) look on (Getty Images)

No-one who has ever seen China’s security apparatus in full flow can be in any doubt that the Queen is right: they are horrible to deal with.

I had a small experience of this a few years back when I travelled with David Cameron on a trade mission to China designed to rebuild ties with the country’s leadership after a period in the diplomatic deep freeze.

We had spent the day in Beijing and in the evening flew in the Prime Minister’s charted Virgin plane on to Shanghai.

As we prepared to leave the Chinese capital we were joined on the flight by about half a dozen well built, badly suited men – who you could tell were security officials by the discreet microphones in their button holes.

They were scattered throughout the plane. They didn’t smile. They didn’t make eye contact. They didn’t sit down when the plane started moving. And at the end of the flight they were up from their seats before the plane had left the runway. The rules did not apply to them.

Now such arrivals by heads of state tend to have well laid down protocols. The Prime Minister is always the first person off the plane – but only disembarks once the welcoming party of city dignitaries and embassy staff are in place and the obligatory red carpet has been laid out to the front steps of the plane.

Those of us at the back in steerage have to wait. And it can be a while.

But that is not how the Chinese security minder in our cabin saw things panning out.

As soon as the steps had been brought up to the back door he gesticulated to the rather effete steward that he should open it and let him off.

The steward demurred and very politely told him in slow English that this was not possible: he couldn’t open the door until he had been given permission to do so by the cockpit.

The steward smiled a lot. The security agent scowled. He bent his head to look through the window and gesticulated again that the door should be opened.

The steward – only two thirds his size – in turn tried to gesticulate that this was not possible. And then it got nasty.

Having not got his way the agent began angrily screaming at the steward waving his arms around.

His diatribe – that none of us including the steward could understand – went on for about 30 seconds.

And then something rather marvelous happened: the steward waited till he had finished and then shouted back at him.

“I don’t care who you are,” he screamed. “I’m not opening the door and you’re going to have to wait.”

He then positioned himself directly in front of the handle – blocking the exit and explicitly challenged the man to push him out of the way.

And you know what? He won. The goon shut up. And waited. For a good five minutes until Cameron was off the plane.

And then when the door finally was opened and the man rushed off, the steward thanked his rapidly descending profile for flying Virgin.

He should get a job in the diplomatic protection service.