David Cameron made a toe-curling gaffe in front of the Queen today by boasting that he has 'two of the most corrupt countries in the world' coming to a key London summit this week.
The Prime Minister seemingly did not realise he was being filmed as he singled out Afghanistan and Nigeria for the insult.
The blunder came as he was talking to the Queen and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at an event in Buckingham Palace to mark the monarch's 90th birthday.
Clutching a glass as he made small talk with the group - which also included Commons Speaker John Bercow and Leader of the House Chris Grayling - Mr Cameron said: 'We had a very successful cabinet meeting this morning, talking about our anti-corruption summit.
'We have got the Nigerians - actually we have got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain.'
He went on: 'Nigeria and Afghanistan - possibly two of the most corrupt countries in the world.'
The monarch did not respond to the PM's comment.
However, Mr Welby shook his head and responded: 'But this particular president is actually not corrupt... he is trying his best.
Mr Cameron's candid comments risk causing diplomatic problems as they come just two days before he hosts a major international anti-corruption summit in London.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani are both due to attend the summit. They have acknowledge corruption in their countries and pledged to clean it up.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, left, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani are both due to attend the anti-corruption summit in London this week
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