David Cameron in new Royal gaffe after joke to MPs at Queen's expense

David Cameron found himself at the centre of another embarrassing royal faux pas today after sharing a joke with MPs at the Queen’s expense.

It is claimed the Prime Minister was showing off art at Chequers when he amused guests by telling them how the monarch had to be corrected for mistakenly believing she had the original of a painting that was at the stately home.

The latest indiscretion emerges days after he vowed to never again discuss private conversations with the Queen — he had been recorded saying she “purred” after hearing the result of the Scottish independence referendum.

On Monday last week, Mr Cameron invited some 20 MPs to his country retreat, including some of his fiercest critics, to thrash out a plan for “English votes for English laws” following the referendum.

During a tour, he showed them Anthony van Dyck’s painting A Family Group, and recounted a conversation that took place when the Queen and Prince Philip made a visit to Chequers in February — their first in almost two decades.

According to Mr Cameron, Her Majesty commented that she had the original of the painting at Windsor Castle. But the Premier then told how, in a toe-curlingly awkward moment, the curator at Chequers interjected to correct the Queen, pointing out the version she was looking at was the original and that her painting at Windsor was the copy.

While the story delighted guests, it appears to once again breach protocol which demands private conversations with the Queen are not discussed. Ukip leader Nigel Farage joked that the Queen may want to lock up Mr Cameron: “I’m pleased the Tower of London moat is being filled with ceramic poppies at the moment to commemorate First World War soldiers.

“But if the Prime Minister makes any more comments like this we should start to think about using the inside of the Tower as well.” Neither Downing Street nor Buckingham Palace would comment today.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 that he regretted being recorded telling former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg that the Queen had “purred” down the line to him.