Queen Elizabeth II's most memorable moments with US presidents

Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed many engagements with American presidents over time, starting with Harry Truman whereas she was nonetheless a princess and ending with a go to from Joe Biden some 70 years later.

The queen made loads of headlines whereas nurturing the particular relationship between america and the UK, starting from the intense to the humorous to the weird. Beneath, we recount a number of the most memorable moments between the queen and her associates on the White Home.

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Early days: Assembly Truman as a princess

Elizabeth met with 13 sitting presidents throughout her time because the British monarch, Lyndon B. Johnson being the one president she did not meet. She even met Herbert Hoover some 20 years after he left the White Home and mingled with Truman in 1951 whereas she was nonetheless a princess. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was in attendance as effectively in the course of the Truman assembly, an indication of issues to return for the royal couple.

Eisenhower: Items and recipes

As a younger monarch, Elizabeth met with President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the White Home throughout her first state go to to the U.S. in 1957. Eisenhower wore a British Order of Advantage that had been given to him by the queen's father, King George VI.

Two years later, they met once more at Balmoral Fortress in Scotland. Elizabeth made fairly an impression — Eisenhower and his spouse had been so impressed along with her English drop scones that she later despatched them the recipe.

Kennedy magic

Simply months after taking workplace, John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy Onassis loved a state dinner at Buckingham Palace in 1961. This assembly of so many icons produced loads of gossip and was even depicted within the Netflix sequence The Crown. Jackie Kennedy returned for a solo engagement 9 months later.

The queen didn't attend JFK's funeral, owing to quite a few circumstances, together with the truth that she was pregnant. Philip attended as a substitute.

Dedication and dances with Ford

The queen celebrated two essential milestones throughout Gerald Ford's quick presidency. One was the bicentennial of the American Revolution, throughout which a state dinner was held within the queen's honor. She danced with Ford in the course of the occasion, however sadly, the band started enjoying "The Girl is a Tramp" throughout their engagement.

The pair additionally witnessed the completion of the nave and west rose window contained in the Nationwide Cathedral in northwest Washington. After the queen's dying, the church's bells tolled 96 occasions in her honor.

Carter kisses the Queen Mom

Georgia-born President Jimmy Carter dedicated one of the well-known royal fake pas, kissing the Queen Mom on the lips as a substitute of bowing throughout a 1977 assembly. She mentioned later that "no one has executed that since my husband died."

A particular relationship with Reagan

The queen loved an particularly shut relationship with Ronald Reagan, as the 2 bonded over their shared love of horses. Reagan grew to become the primary president to remain at Windsor Fortress and the primary to host the queen at his non-public residence.

The 2 had been scheduled to trip horses outdoors Reagan's California ranch, however the trip was scrapped because of rain. Elizabeth later quipped, “I knew earlier than we got here that we had exported lots of our traditions to america. However I had not realized earlier than that climate was one among them.”

Elizabeth later made Reagan an honorary knight, due partially to America's help to the U.Ok. in the course of the Falklands Warfare.

Baseball with Bush

In 1991, President George H.W. Bush handled the queen to a wholly completely different type of sporting occasion — an American baseball recreation. The pair attended a Baltimore Orioles recreation (there was no MLB staff in Washington on the time) on the previous Memorial Stadium, which the staff deserted for Oriole Park at Camden Yards one yr later.

The queen additionally took a tour of the Alamo with the elder Bush, turning into the primary monarch to go to Texas.

Ultimate White Home go to and a Bushism

In 2007, the queen visited the White Home for what proved to be the ultimate time for a gathering with President George W. Bush.

The go to was made memorable by one among George W. Bush's well-known Bushisms, whereby the president referred to her bicentennial go to in 1976 as having occurred in 1776.

He then added, smiling, "She gave me a glance that solely a mom may give a baby."

Elizabeth later took her personal shot at humor throughout a dinner on the British Embassy, saying, "I puzzled whether or not I ought to begin this toast by saying, 'Once I was right here in 1776."

Michelle's well-known hug

Barack and Michelle Obama's 2009 go to to Buckingham Palace is remembered principally for the primary woman's "hug." Like Carter, Michelle Obama unknowingly dedicated one other royal fake pas, although the queen did return the embrace. The ladies apparently had been bonding over their shared struggles with painful sneakers.

The ultimate assembly

Biden was the final president to satisfy with Elizabeth, doing so in June 2021 at Windsor Fortress.

Biden made a shock go to to the British Embassy in Washington after her dying, writing in a e-book of condolences alongside along with his spouse, first woman Jill Biden. The president has mentioned the queen "outlined an period."

Although preparations for the queen's funeral have but to be introduced, Joe Biden has already dedicated to being there when the time comes, including one remaining chapter to her lengthy historical past with American commanders in chief.