Joe Biden becomes the 13th US president to meet with the Queen: Which other presidents has the monarch met?
Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-serving monarch in British history, and the longest-reigning current monarch, so it comes as no surprise that she has seen 13 out of the last 14 sitting US presidents. At 95 years old, the Queen has ruled the UK for the last 69 years, becoming monarch at the age of 26 when Harry S. Truman was president of the United States. She has met every US president since then - except for President Lyndon B. Johnson.
On Sunday, she continued the tradition by having tea with the incumbent Joe Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden at Windsor Castle, during Mr Biden's first visit as president to attend the G7 Summit. Here’s a look back at all the US presidents the Queen has met over the years:
Harry S. Truman, 1945 - 1953
Then-princess Elizabeth was only 25 years old when she visited Washington in 1951 and stayed with President Harry S. Truman and his family at Blair House, where Truman lived while the White House underwent a major renovation.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953 - 1961
In 1957, Dwight Eisenhower hosted the Queen’s first state visit to the US as the monarch.
Then in June 1959, Eisenhower flew to England where he was a guest at Balmoral, the royal estate in Scotland.
The same month, the Queen, as head of the Commonwealth, welcomed Eisenhower to Canada.
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John F. Kennedy, 1961 - 1963
In his first year as president in 1961, John F. Kennedy, accompanied by his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, visited the UK and attended a banquet at Buckingham Palace in his honour.
Richard Nixon, 1969 - 1974
The Queen met Richard Nixon on several occasions, both during his time as vice president, and later president.
As president, Nixon visited the Queen in February 1969, when he was invited to Buckingham Palace.
A year later, in October 1970, the Queen along with then-Prime Minister Edward Heath met Richard Nixon and his wife Pat Nixon at Chequers, the country home of the prime minister in Buckinghamshire, about 50 miles northwest of London.
Gerald Ford, 1974 - 1977
Gerald Ford threw a gala state dinner in 1976 to mark the bicentennial of the American Revolution, which the Queen attended, donning her diamond-studded tiara, during her second state visit to the US with her late-husband Prince Philip.
Ford famously led the queen to the dance floor while the song “The Lady Is a Tramp” echoed throughout the State Dining Room.
Jimmy Carter, 1977 - 1981
The Queen hosted Jimmy Carter in May 1977 on his first overseas trip at a dinner for NATO leaders in Buckingham Palace. That same year marked the monarch's Silver Jubilee.
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 broke away, took her by the hand and escorted her to the assembled line of guests.
Ronald Reagan, 1981 - 1989
Ronald Reagan and the queen bonded over their mutual love of horse riding.
They rode side by side on an 8-mile (13-kilometre), hour long tour on the grounds of Windsor Castle when Reagan visited her there in June 1982. Reagan was the first president to sleep over at the British royal family’s historic home.
George H. W. Bush, 1989- 1993
One of the more memorable images from the monarch’s third state visit to the US came in 1991 when only her white-striped purple hat could be seen above the microphones when she spoke at an arrival ceremony on the White House grounds.
“I do hope you can see me today from where you are,” she joked. Bush later apologised and said he felt badly for not pulling out a step for her to stand on.
Part of her trip was spent in Texas, where she became the first British monarch to step on Texan soil and visit the Alamo.
Bill Clinton, 1993 - 2001
The Queen hosted Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, aboard her royal yacht, Britannia, in June 1994, on which the couple spent one night, before heading to Normandy for D-Day anniversary celebrations aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier.
A few years later in December 2000, the Queen welcomed the Clintons and their daughter Chelsea at Buckingham Palace.
George W. Bush, 2001 - 2009
The Queen pulled out all the stops when she hosted a state dinner in George Bush junior's honour at Buckingham Palace in November 2003 which he attended in a white tie-and-tails tuxedo.
A few years later, Bush’s slip of the tongue generated ripples of laughter at a White House welcoming ceremony for the Queen, who was touring the U.S. in May 2007.
Stumbling on a line in his speech, Bush said the Queen had dined with several of his predecessors and had helped the United States “celebrate its bicentennial in 17- ...” Bush caught himself and corrected the date to 1976, and paused to see if she had taken offence.
Barack Obama, 2009 - 2017
Obama and the Queen had their first of three meetings in April 2009 at a reception for world leaders attending the Group of 20 nations summit in London.
The Queen invited the Obamas for a state visit in 2011 that included a two-night stay at Buckingham Palace and a lavish banquet in the president’s honour.
As Obama delivered a toast to the Queen, the band assumed that a pause in his remarks meant he had concluded and launched into a rendition of “God Save the Queen”. Obama kept talking over the music until the band quieted down, causing some upset.
Donald Trump, 2017 - 2021
Trump and the Queen met in July 2018 at Windsor Castle during a visit to Britain that drew large anti-Trump protests in London, including the hoisting of a balloon that depicted a giant 'baby Trump' in a nappy.
He was criticised for breaking protocol by walking in front of the Queen - instead of alongside her - and turning his back on her as they reviewed an honour guard.
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