LONDON – Downing Street was yesterday attempting to play down an incident in which British prime minister David Cameron left his eight-year-old daughter, Nancy, in a pub, telling reporters: “These things happen.”
Mr Cameron and his wife, Samantha, returned to the prime minister’s country residence at Chequers from the Plough Inn in nearby Cadsden, Buckinghamshire, in different vehicles, each believing that Nancy was with the other.
They were “distraught” to find she had been left behind, but quickly phoned the pub to discover she was safe and well.
The Camerons were at the Plough Inn with Nancy and their other children. Arthur (6) and 22-month-old Florence, as well as two other families.
Nancy is said to have wandered off to the toilets as the Camerons were leaving and getting into cars.
Mr Cameron left the pub with his bodyguards and thought Nancy was with his wife. Mrs Cameron had assumed her eldest daughter was with her father and the mistake was only discovered when they got home.
Samantha drove back to the pub and found Nancy helping staff.
She was away from her parents for about 15 minutes. – (PA)