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Hostess With the Mostest for the Longest Time: Queen Elizabeth and All US Presidents She's Met

© AP Photo / Lewis WhyldIn this May 24, 2011, file photo Queen Elizabeth II, and U.S. President Barack Obama attend a state banquet in Buckingham Palace, London.
In this May 24, 2011, file photo Queen Elizabeth II, and U.S. President Barack Obama attend a state banquet in Buckingham Palace, London. - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.06.2021
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The path to a meet-and-greet with the Queen has been walked by almost all of Joe Biden’s predecessors since the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The US president is set to meet Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday at Windsor Castle, following the G7 Summit in Cornwall.

This is Biden’s first overseas travel as the US head of state and the second time he will be encountering the British monarch, whom he previously met in 1992, according to the White House.

During the Queen's long reign, only 36th US President Lyndon Johnson did not visit the United Kingdom while in office from 1963 to 1969.

Both the Queen and the US president will attend a reception on Friday, together with Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, and Charles’ son Prince William along with his wife, Kate.

​The first time the Queen had to mingle with an American president was back in 1951, when she was only 25 and visited the US to meet President Harry S. Truman.

​His successor, Dwight D. Eisenhower, visited Britain in 1959 and first met the monarch that year.

Ronald Reagan

The term “special relationship”, used to describe ties between London and Washington, is said to have been coined during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. The Reagans were the first presidential couple to be invited to stay overnight at Windsor Castle.

In 1982, the Queen and the US president went horseback riding on the grounds of the castle, and the following year the monarch paid a visit to the Reagans’ ranch near Santa Barbara.

​George W. Bush

George W. Bush, who met the Queen on several occasions over the course of his 2001-2009 presidency, made headlines when he made a mistake during his speech at a welcoming ceremony at the White House.

Bush initially said the Queen had helped celebrate the US bicentennial in 1776, rather than 1976. He then realised his mistake and said: "She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child".

The monarch later joked about Bush’s verbal slip-up, when during a speech she said: "I wondered whether I should start this toast by saying, 'When I was here in 1776...'" The audience, which included Bush, responded with laughter.

Barack Obama

Former President Barack Obama also travelled to Windsor Castle in 2016, where he spent time together with the monarch, and previously met her back in 2009.

The 2009 encounter was at a reception for the G20 Summit in London, where Michelle Obama famously broke protocol by touching the Queen’s back. Despite the strict rules against it, the Queen didn’t appear to mind and returned the gesture.

© AP Photo / Alastair Grant PoolPresident Barack Obama and his wife first lady Michelle Obama are greeted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip after landing by helicopter at Windsor Castle for a private lunch in Windsor, England, Friday, April, 22, 2016
Hostess With the Mostest for the Longest Time: Queen Elizabeth and All US Presidents She's Met - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.06.2021
President Barack Obama and his wife first lady Michelle Obama are greeted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip after landing by helicopter at Windsor Castle for a private lunch in Windsor, England, Friday, April, 22, 2016

Donald Trump

Another breach of protocol was committed during a visit of the former US head of state Donald Trump in 2018, when he was seen briefly walking in front of the queen — instead of alongside her.

© AP Photo / Tolga Akmen/PoolBritain's Queen Elizabeth speaks to U.S President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump as they view U.S memorabilia from the Royal Collection, at Buckingham Palace, London, Monday, June 3, 2019
Hostess With the Mostest for the Longest Time: Queen Elizabeth and All US Presidents She's Met - Sputnik International, 1920, 11.06.2021
Britain's Queen Elizabeth speaks to U.S President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump as they view U.S memorabilia from the Royal Collection, at Buckingham Palace, London, Monday, June 3, 2019

The Queen will be celebrating 70 years of service next year, the first British monarch to reach this milestone.

Buckingham Palace has announced year-long Platinum Jubilee celebrations throughout the United Kingdom in 2022 “to celebrate The Queen’s historic reign”.

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