Russian President Boris Yeltsin threatened to spark a diplomatic incident when he attempted to put his arm around the Queen, according to newly released government files.

The documents show that while the Queen adroitly sidestepped his attentions, officials suggested the Russians should in future be advised that people did not "handle" the monarch.

The papers are among a batch of around 90 files from the 1980s and early 1990s released by the National Archives which were made available too late for inclusion in the annual press preview for journalists.

The details emerged in a report of Mr Yeltsin's visit to London in November 1992 by the Foreign Office translator, KA Bishop, in which he noted that the Russian president had been "very tactile".

"He even managed at Greenwich during the goodbyes to get a half hug upon HRH the Duke of York, which could well have been followed by an embrace if evasive action had not been taken," he wrote.

"Yeltsin also twice took the Queen's arm and once even attempted to encircle her waist, but was thwarted (without offence being given) by the effortless skill of one with years of training!