I don’t have much to say that others will not be saying for the next few days. I think I’ll watch “The Crown” tonight.
Americans have a strange fascination with the British monarchy considering our history and I confess to being among them. And I think we’ve always enjoyed it when our presidents met with her:
Elizabeth remained a constant on the world stage, meeting with American leaders before she even became queen. Here is a peek at some of her encounters with U.S. presidents.
Then-Princess Elizabeth met with President Harry Truman in 1951, a year before she ascended to the throne. Elizabeth and Prince Phillip met with the Truman family at Blair House that year during a visit to Washington, D.C.
Princess Elizabeth meets with President Harry Truman (National Archives and Records Administration) (National Archives and Records Administration)
Six years later, Queen Elizabeth spent four days at the White House in October 1957, as she and Prince Philip stayed with President Dwight Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip meet with President Dwight Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower at the White House (National Archives and Records Administration)
In 1961, the queen hosted President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy at Buckingham Palace.
Queen Elizabeth meets with President John Kennedy at Buckingham Palace (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum/National Archives and Records Administration)
The queen never met with President Lyndon Johnson, but her sister Princess Margaret did in 1965. The next president the queen met was President Richard Nixon, whom she met along with their spouses in the UK in 1970.
Queen Elizabeth and UK Prime Minister Edward Heath with President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon in October 1970 (Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library and Museum/National Archives and Records Administration)
In 1976, Queen Elizabeth visited the United States for an American bicentennial celebration, where she shared a dance with President Gerald Ford.
U.S. President Gerald Ford and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth dance during a state dinner in honor of the Queen and Prince Philip at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 7, 1976. (Ricardo Thomas/Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library/U.S. National Archives and Records Administration/Handout via REUTERS)
Nearly a year later, the queen met President Jimmy Carter and other world leaders at a May 1977 summit dinner at Buckingham Palace.
Queen Elizabeth meets President Jimmy Carter and other heads of state at a 1977 summit at Buckingham Palace (Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/National Archives and Records Administration)
In 1982, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan visited Windsor Castle. During their stay, Reagan and Queen Elizabeth rode horses together.
The queen visited the White House in 1991, where she joined President George H.W. Bush on the South Lawn to plant a tree. The tree replaced another, which had been planted by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1937 in honor of the coronation of King George VI.
President George HW Bush and Queen Elizabeth plant a tree on the White House South Lawn, replacing a toppled one that was planted in honor of the coronation of King George VI. (George Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA)
Among the queen’s meetings with President Bill Clinton was a D-Day commemoration event at the Guildhall in London.
US President Bill Clinton speaks with Queen Elizabeth II of England during the official group photo before a dinner at the Guildhall June 4. World leaders headed D-Day commemorations here. (REUTERS/Kevin Coombs) (Reuters)
President George W. Bush met with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in 2003 before Bush met with then-Prime Minister Tony Blair.
U.S. President George W. Bush shakes hands with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth before departing from Buckingham Palace in London, November 21, 2003. Bush and Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair are due to travel to Blair’s constituency of Sedgefield in the north of England on Friday. (REUTERS/POOL/Richard Lewis ASA/AA)
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama met with the queen and Prince Philip in April 2016. The two couples shared a private lunch in Windsor.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh stand with the President and First Lady of the United States Barack Obama and his wife Michelle (both centre), in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle ahead of a private lunch hosted by the Queen in Windsor, Britain, April 22, 2016. (REUTERS/John Stillwell/Pool/File Photo)
This was the low point:
Then:
The Vampire:
And he brought all of his adult children. No one else ever did that:
Thankfully, her last memory of an American president wasn’t that…
Speaking of Americans: