The queen, who died on Thursday at her summer home in Scotland aged 96, had met every US president since Dwight Eisenhower, with the exception of Lyndon Johnson, who did not visit Britain during his presidency. She was still a princess when she met President Harry Truman in Washington. Every living former US president — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump — joined Biden in mourning her death and sent condolences to her family. Biden and first lady Jill Biden said the Queen’s “legacy will loom large in the pages of British history and the history of our world.” Obama and his wife, Michelle, recalled that the queen welcomed them, America’s first black president and first lady, onto the world stage “with open arms and extraordinary generosity.” Biden first met the Queen in 1982 as a US senator traveling to the UK with a congressional delegation. He last saw her in 2021, several months after he became president, when he attended a summit of world leaders in southwest England. She was mingling with the leaders of the Group of Seven at a reception she and other royals hosted in an interior rainforest. After the summit, the Bidens traveled to Windsor Castle, near London, at the Queen’s invitation for a private audience. The queen was a 25-year-old princess when she came to Washington in 1951 and stayed with Truman and his family. She met Herbert Hoover in 1957, more than 20 years after he left office. Here are highlights of some of her meetings, on both sides of the pond, with past US presidents: JOE BIDEN Biden and his trademark aviator sunglasses met the Queen at Windsor Castle on a late afternoon in June 2021. Biden emerged from a black car wearing his shades, entered a covered courtyard where the queen was waiting and, with his wife, posed with the queen as the national anthems of the two countries played. After walking through the courtyard to inspect the guard of honor, he entered the castle for tea. Back at the airport, Biden told reporters the queen had been “very kind” and had asked him about the leaders of China and Russia. While it is generally frowned upon to discuss one’s private conversations with the Queen, Biden continued. “I don’t think she will be offended, but she reminded me of my mother,” he said. Biden said he also invited the Queen to visit the White House. DONALD TRUMP Trump and the Queen met in July 2018 at the castle during a visit to Britain that sparked large anti-Trump protests in central London, including the raising of a balloon depicting Trump in a nappy. He was criticized for breaking protocol by briefly walking in front of the Queen – rather than beside her – and turning his back on her as they critiqued a guard of honour. Trump later said he thought of his late mother, Mary Anne, who was born in Scotland and loved the royal family, when he and his wife, Melania, had tea with the queen. Trump’s subsequent comment that the Queen had told him that Brexit – Britain’s break from the European Union – was complicated also caused an uproar. Most heads of state do not reveal their private conversations with the Queen. He also does not discuss political issues. The Trumps and the royals met again during the 2019 D-Day celebration. BARACK OBAMA Obama and the Queen had their first of three meetings in April 2009 at a reception for world leaders attending the Group of 20 summit in London. It was there that First Lady Michelle Obama broke protocol by briefly putting an arm around the Queen’s back as they commiserated about their sore feet. It’s generally a no-no to touch the Queen, but she returned Mrs Obama’s gesture. The Queen invited the Obamas for a state visit in 2011, which included a two-night stay at Buckingham Palace and a lavish banquet in the president’s honor. As Obama delivered a toast to the Queen, he didn’t waste a moment when the band assumed a pause in his remarks meant he had finished and begun a rendition of “God Save the Queen.” Obama continued to speak over the music until the band quieted down. The couples saw each other again in 2016, when Obama visited the Queen at Windsor Castle a day after her 90th birthday during another European jaunt. GEORGE W. BUSH Bush loathes stuffy, formal affairs, but he wore a white tuxedo with tie and tails after the Queen pulled out all the stops for a state dinner in his honor at Buckingham Palace in November 2003. A few years later, Bush’s slip caused ripples of laughter at a White House welcome ceremony for the Queen, who toured the US in May 2007. Stumbling over a line in his speech, Bush said the Queen had dined with several of his predecessors and helped the United States “celebrate its 200th anniversary on 17-…” Bush caught himself and corrected himself. the date to 1976 and stopped to see if he was offended. “She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child,” Bush said with a smile. The Queen later turned the tables on Bush with her toast at a dinner she hosted for the president at the British Embassy in Washington. “I wondered if I should start this toast by saying, ‘When I was here in 1776,’” he said with a laugh. BILL CLINTON The Queen hosted Clinton and his wife, Hillary, on her royal yacht, Britannia, in June 1994. The ship, 412ft (125m) long and 55ft (17m) wide, docked at Portsmouth Naval Base and was home base for the Clintons as they attended the Queen’s Guildhall Dinner for leaders of allied nations whose troops took part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy 50 years earlier. The Clintons spent a night on the boat. The following day, the Britannia carried Clinton aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington as she prepared to cross the English Channel from Portsmouth to Normandy for the D-Day anniversary celebrations. GEORGE HW BUSH One of the most memorable images from the monarch’s third state visit to the US came in 1991 when only her purple hat with white stripes was visible above the microphones when she spoke at a White House arrival ceremony. Someone forgot to adjust the lectern after the much taller Bush spoke. The Queen remained strong and carried on, later revealing the incident as she opened a speech to a joint session of Congress. “I hope you can see me today from where you are,” she said. Bush later apologized and said he felt bad for not taking a step to stand. RONALD REAGAN Reagan and the Queen bonded over a mutual love of horse riding. They traveled side by side on an hour-long 8-mile (13 km) tour of the grounds of Windsor Castle when Reagan visited her there in June 1982. Reagan was the first president to sleep in the historic home of the British royal family. 11th century estate overlooking the River Thames. While in the US in 1983, the monarch and Philip stayed with President and First Lady Nancy Reagan at their ranch in Santa Barbara, California. He wanted to ride horses again, but a storm prevented it. The Reagans served a lunch of local produce, including enchiladas, chiles rellenos, refried beans, tacos, rice and guacamole. They also gave a state dinner for the Queen in San Francisco at the MH de Young Memorial Museum. JIMMY CARTER The Queen hosted Carter in May 1977 on his first trip abroad at a dinner for NATO leaders at Buckingham Palace. At one point, as Carter stood with the Queen and other guests, he noticed the arrival of the Queen Mother. Ever the Southern gentleman, Carter slipped away, took her hand and led her into the assembled line of guests. The unusual Georgia peanut farmer-turned-president ate chicken mousse from a gold plate and appeared delighted by his dinner as he sat between the Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret, and across from her son, Prince Charles, Prince Philip and the Queen Mother. . GERALD FORD Ford hosted a gala dinner for the British in 1976 to mark the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution. The Queen was resplendent in a diamond tiara that sparkled for a crowd that included diplomats, star athletes and celebrities including Cary Grant and Julie Harris. The mood evaporated when Ford led the Queen down the dance floor as the song “The Lady Is a Tramp” echoed throughout the State Dining Room.
Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London and Nancy Benac in Washington and AP news reporter Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.
