Queen Elizabeth and the US Presidents

Queen Elizabeth II has held the throne for six decades, which makes her the longest-reigning queen in the world. Throughout this time, she’s met with twelve different presidents of the United States, and it’s clear that she likes some of them more than others. At the top of the list would be the charming Ronald Reagan, and at the bottom would be Jimmy Carter. But he has no one to blame but himself for that.  If you thought your family dinners were tough, see how some of our nation’s presidents classically cracked under the pressure of meeting the Queen.

Born into royalty, Queen Elizabeth II was no amateur by the time she took the throne. She first met a U.S. president in 1951 when she was still a Princess and she and Philip were visiting Washington D.C. Her father was ill, so Elizabeth represented the royal family at just 25 years old.

Elizabeth and her husband charmed Harry Truman and rode with him in his motorcade. They were only in D.C. for two days, but she left a lasting impression on the President, who said, “Never before have we had such a wonderful young couple, who have so completely captured the hearts of all of us.”

Queen Elizabeth II paid her first visit to the United States while holding the throne in 1957. This was during the Cold War when tensions were high in the U.S. However, the young Queen made sure to balance her visit between duty and pleasure.

Eisenhower and the Queen first met when she was still a Princess, and Eisenhower befriended her parents. They maintained a good relationship and traveled on the Queen’s yacht together. During one visit, an American congressman yelled, “We have all fallen in love with the Queen, Ike!” If only all foreign relations carried on this well.

What a gorgeous picture!

In 1961, John F. Kennedy was President of the United States. He and his wife Jackie Kennedy traveled to England only a few months after his inauguration. When they arrived in London, half a million people were there to greet them.

The royal family welcomed the Kennedys for a state dinner at Buckingham Palace that included a banquet held in their honor and a lavish spread of food. It’s hard to say who was more excited about the visit.

Richard Nixon was the next U.S. president to pay the Queen a visit, in 1969. He and the Queen had already met while he was vice president, and Nixon’s visit was informal, especially compared to the warm reception that the Kennedys received.

Nixon was invited over to Buckingham Palace where he and the Queen exchanged signed photos of themselves. It’s said that the president was fascinated with the British monarchy and returned the following year for a formal visit.

In 1976, the Queen paid a visit to the United States while Gerald Ford was in office. The year marked the 200th anniversary of America’s declaration of independence from Britain, and at that point, the two countries had strong relations. President Gerald Ford told her, “The United States [has] never forgotten its British heritage.”

Ford was well-prepped and ready to host the Queen. After the visit First Lady Betty Ford wrote, “The Queen was easy to deal with. If I hadn’t kept mixing up Your Highness and Your Majesty, I’d give myself four stars for the way that visit went off.”

Ah, Jimmy Carter. The former President of the United States should have left his Southern charm at home because the Georgia native totally blew it when it came to royal protocol and the Queen.

In 1977, Carter was in Europe during a NATO summit and the Queen invited him to Buckingham Palace for dinner. It would be the one and only time that Carter would meet with the royal family. While talking to the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth, Carter went right in and kissed the Queen Mother on the lips! She was outraged, and told him, “Nobody has done that since my husband died!”

After Jimmy Carter royally messed up his visit to England, America was lucky to have Ronald Reagan to clear the air. In 1982 the former actor traveled to England with his wife Nancy, where the couple was welcomed to stay at Windsor Castle. He would be the first president to do so, and it was clear that Queen Elizabeth II took a liking to Reagan.

Reagan rode horses with the Queen like a knight in shining armor, out to save the reputation of America’s leader. He described the trip as a “fairy tale visit” and noted in his memoir that it was one of his favorite experiences while holding office.

In 1989, President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara traveled to London to meet the Queen. Reagan was a hard act to follow, so we can’t blame Bush for not sweeping the Queen off her feet.

The President and First Lady were given a tour of Buckingham Palace, and also met with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Bush begrudgingly listened as Thatcher gave him “a lecture on freedom.” But as the U.S. presidents are coached ahead of time, he sat politely and took it with a grain of salt.

As mentioned, Americans, even the President and First Lady, are not entirely hip to royal protocol and this can cause a few glitches. President Bill Clinton met with the Queen several times during his presidency, including during a banquet honoring the 50th anniversary of WWII’s D-Day.

Things went smoothly, but it was Hillary Clinton’s flub in 2010 that the Queen tried to ignore. Clinton released an official statement wishing the Queen a happy birthday and reflecting on the “special relationship” that the U.S. has with England. She should have checked her calendar one last time because the statement was released a week before Her Royal Highness’ birthday. Whoops.

When President George W. Bush visited the Queen in London in 2003, he was not given a warm welcome by the U.K. When he stepped off of Air Force One, 100,000 people were protesting in the streets. They were angry with America’s involvement in the Iraq War, and did not want America’s president on their home turf. Security alone cost the U.K. millions.

Once they arrived at Buckingham Palace, however, Bush and First Lady Laura were honored with a 41-gun salute and a lavish dinner. This wouldn’t be the last time a U.S. president’s visit would be protested.

President Barack Obama’s visit to Buckingham Palace went better than Bush’s. In 2011, Obama met Queen Elizabeth II during a state visit and presented her with a very thoughtful gift. The president handed the Queen an album containing photos and memorabilia from her parents’ trips to the United States. However, Michelle Obama appeared to break protocol by touching the Queen, which she laughed about later. “I touched her!” the First Lady recalled, clarifying that because the Queen had put her hand on Obama’s back first, she felt it “was the nice thing to do!”

President Obama said of the Queen, “She is truly one of my favorite people.” Barack and Michelle met with the Queen twice more while he was in office, including on Her Majesty’s 90th birthday.

The people of London were prepped and ready ahead of President Trump’s visit to Windsor Castle in July of 2018, but it wasn’t for the reasons you’d think. The President was met with huge protests as 250,000 turned out to oppose his visit. The crowd even flew a large balloon through the streets that resembled Trump as an angry baby, which the mayor of London approved ahead of the protest.

I will never forget watching this live!

After video footage of the visit was released, people were quick to point out that Trump disrespected the Queen by turning his back to Her Royal Highness as they inspected the Guard of Honor. Some also speculate that the Queen may have worn a brooch that the Obamas gifted her as a jab at the President, but it turned out she wore that brooch the previous day. Trump thought the visit went well and called her “a terrific person.”