US President Barack Obama (L) and First Lady Michelle Obama (R) are accompanied by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (2nd R) and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh as they visit an exhibition at the Portrait Gallery inside Buckingham Palace in London, on May 24, 2011. JEWEL SAMAD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II and Barack Obama had the strongest of friendships. The Queen asked if he could come back to England even when his presidency was over, said a royal author The former president recalled a surprise invite to Buckingham Palace, where she let his daughters ride in one of her carriages.
In her 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II met 13 US presidents. But there was one that she took a special shine to. In his book “Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle,” author Tom Quinn wrote, “after meeting Barack Obama who she completely fell in love with – she has frequently asked her courtiers if they could arrange for him to come to Britain now he is no longer president.
“Over their eight years spent in the White House, Barack and Michelle Obama visited Buckingham Palace three times. The pair got off to a great start when President Obama gave the Queen a gift when he met her for the first time in April 2009 when Obama touched down in the UK for the G20 summit. US President Barack Obama (2R) and his wife US First Lady Michelle Obama (R) are greeted by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (2L) and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, (L) after landing by helicopter at Windsor Castle for a private lunch in Windsor, southern England, on April, 22, 2016.
JACK HILL/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesAt the Inbound conference in Boston, Obama reminisced that the present for the Queen was an eyebrow-raiser. “When you meet with leaders, you exchange gifts. You never want to be out-gifted! I wanted her actually to be able to use the gift.
She loved British Broadway Showtunes, and the iPod had just come out. I thought, let’s get an iPod and fill it with British show tunes. The British tabloids thought it was entirely inappropriate, but I think she used it quite a bit,” the former President said.
It set the tone for a relationship that would transcend the rigid parameters of the protocol which Queen often would forgo royal protocol and focus on deepening and enjoying their relationship. The Queen and President Barack Obama having a conversation at a state banquet on May 24, 2011 in London, England. Lewis Whyld – WPA Pool/Getty ImagesObama recalled another touching and revealing anecdote about the Queen at the Inbound Conference.
During his second year in office, his two daughters and his mother-in-law made a trip to London. There was no plan to visit the Queen, but they unexpectedly received an invitation to tea at Buckingham Palace. “And so, I’ve got Malia, who at that point is eleven, Sasha who is eight, and my mother-in-law, who was a stay-at-home mom and a secretary for a bank–who lived on the south side of Chicago her whole life, sitting there with the Queen of England.
And then she insists that the girls take her golden carriage, which I guess she uses for jubilees, on a long drive through the Palace grounds. “Obama said the Queen was genuine and gracious. “None of this was ever reported.
It was just something that she did quietly,” the former president said. The Queen and Barack Obama at a state banquet on May 24, 2011 in London, England. Lewis Whyld – WPA Pool/Getty ImagesAnd writing in her book Becoming, Michelle Obama recalled an intimate encounter with the Queen during their final state visit to England in 2016.
The plan was to fly by helicopter from the US ambassador’s residence in London to Windsor Castle, one of the Queen’s residences. From there, Prince Philip and the Queen were going to meet them on the estate, and then Philip would drive them all back to Buckingham Palace. This event was significant, not just because of the passengers of the car, but because this would have been one of the only times the Obamas drove without secret service agents.
As such, the journey was planned to the finest of detail. Britain’s Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (L) drives US President Barack Obama (2L), US First Lady Michelle Obama (2R) and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (R) from the helicopter into Windsor Castle after the Obama’s arrived for a private lunch in Windsor, southern England, on April, 22, 2016. GEOFF PUGH/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Queen, however, did not want to go with that well-made plan and asked Michelle Obama if she would like to ride with her in her Land Rover.
Obama wrote: “I froze, trying to remember if anyone had prepped me for this scenario, whether it was more polite to go along with it or to insist that Barack take his proper seat by her side. “The Queen immediately picked up on my hesitation. And was having none of it.
“‘Did they give you some rule about this?’ she said, dismissing all the fuss with a wave of her hand. ‘That’s rubbish. Sit wherever you want.
‘”The close relationship between the monarch and the Obama family didn’t mean that the Queen wouldn’t assert her own needs, however. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said the Queen once asked him at a state banquet to tell then-President Obama to leave because it was late and she wanted to go to bed. Indeed, in a tribute to the Queen filmed for the BBC, the 44th President confirmed the monarch was a straight-talker.
“She was from very mindful of her guests at Buckingham Palace not overstaying their welcome. She was looking at her watch and at some point said, ‘ok, it’s time to go,'” he laughingly recalled. Upon hearing the news of the death of the Queen, President Obama and the former First Lady said, “Like so many, Michelle and I are grateful to have witnessed Her Majesty’s dedicated leadership, and we are awed by her legacy of tireless, dignified public service.
Our thoughts are with her family and the people of the United Kingdom at this difficult time. “Read the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/how-queen-elizabeth-ii-fell-in-love-with-president-obama-2022-9
