What Queen Elizabeth's relationship was like with every US president, from Truman to Biden

Queen Elizabeth II visits Hull
Queen Elizabeth II, pictured on a visit to Hull last month.Getty Images
  • Queen Elizabeth II died in 2002 at age 96 after 70 years on the throne, the Royal Family announced.

  • Since 1951, the Queen met with 12 US presidents and helped facilitate diplomatic relations.

  • Here's what the Queen's relationships and meetings with US presidents have been like.

Queen Elizabeth II died in 2002 at age 96 after an unprecedented 70-year reign.

The Queen, who ascended to the throne in 1952 and was the world's longest-reigning monarch at the time of her death, played a major role in facilitating the US and UK's "special" diplomatic relationship.

The Queen traveled to Washington, DC for the first time to meet President Harry Truman in 1951 when she was still a princess. She's met 12 US American presidents total at places including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the White House, and even a Baltimore Orioles game.

Here's what the Queen's relationships and meetings with US presidents have been like, from Harry Truman to Donald Trump.

This post was first published in September 2022 and has been updated. 

When Queen Elizabeth was still a princess in 1951, she traveled to Washington, DC to the first time to meet President Harry Truman, and the two complimented each other's nations. "Free men everywhere look towards the United States with affection and with hope," she told Truman.

Queen Elizabeth Harry Truman

Sources: Vogue, UC Santa Barbara Presidency Project

The queen developed a close friendship with President Dwight Eisenhower, who hosted Her Majesty for her first state visit to the US as queen. They corresponded by letter for years — with the queen even sharing her recipe for grilled scones with Eisenhower.

queen elizabeth DC eisenhower
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II walks with U.S. President Eisenhower past the Guard of Honour at Washington National Airport, Oct. 17, 1957. The Commander of the Honour Guard Lt. Colonel Robert Phelps marches beside the Queen.AP

Source: BBC America

The queen reportedly felt upstaged and outshined by Jacqueline Kennedy when she and President Kennedy toured France and England in the summer of 1961. The queen hosted them at Buckingham Palace.

Queen Elizabeth JFK Jackie
Queen Elizabeth II poses with President John Kennedy, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and Prince Philip, June 5, 1961, at Buckingham Palace in London. The Kennedys were guests of the Queen at dinner.AP Photo

Source: Washington Post

Nevertheless, Queen Elizabeth and President Kennedy warmly corresponded until he died in 1963, after which the queen created a physical memorial and a scholarship fund in Kennedy's honor.

Queen Elizabeth John F. Kennedy
Queen Elizabeth II and President John Kennedy pose at Buckingham Palace in London, June 5, 1961.AP Photo

Source: Washington Post

President Richard Nixon met the queen multiple times during his time as vice president and president — and reportedly tried to fix his daughter Tricia up with Prince Charles, the queen's eldest son.

queen elizabeth richard nixon
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, pictured with U.S. President Richard Nixon, right, and Britain's Prime Minister Edward Heath at Chequers, Buckinghamshire, in 1970.AP

Source: BBC America

President Gerald Ford hosted Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip for a state dinner. "If I hadn't kept mixing up Your Highness and Your Majesty (he's His Highness, she's Her Majesty) I'd give myself four stars for the way that visit went off," First Lady Betty Ford wrote of the dinner in her memoirs.

Queen Elizabeth Gerald Ford
President Ford and first lady Betty Ford pose with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip outside the North Portico of the White House in Washington on July 7, 1976. The Fords are hosting a state dinner for the Queen of England in the Executive Mansion.AP Photo

Source: Ford Presidential Library

Outside of the occasion's formalities, the Fords did have a humorous moment with the queen during the 1976 visit that involved their 24-year-old son, Jack.

gerald ford queen elizabeth
President Ford dances with England's Queen Elizabeth during a visit by the Queen to the United States.CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Kate Andersen Brower, the author of "First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies," told CNN that when the Fords brought the queen and Prince Philip to the residence before the visit's dinner, they ran into Jack, who was wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

The queen reassured the first lady about the run-in, saying: "Don't worry, Betty, I have one of those at home, too."

President Jimmy Carter committed an infamous faux-pas in kissing the Queen Mother on the lips during his visit to Buckingham Palace to attend a NATO event.

Queen Elizabeth Jimmy Carter
French President Giscard d'Estaing, left, chats with Queen Elizabeth II, and President Jimmy Carter escorts the Queen Mother to pose for photographers prior to the State Dinner, May 7, 1977, at Buckingham PalaceAP Photo

Source: BBC America

Queen Elizabeth developed a close relationship with President Ronald Reagan, with whom she shared a love of horseback riding.

Queen Elizabeth Reagan
U.S. President Ronald Reagan, on Centennial, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, on Burmese, go horseback riding on the grounds of Windsor Castle, England.Bob Daugherty, File/AP

Source: BBC America

The queen was reportedly very friendly with both Nancy and Ronald Reagan, whose family ranch she visited in 1983.

reagans queen elizabeth
President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan welcome Queen Elizabeth II to their ranch at Rancho Del Cielo, California, March 1 1983.Ronald Reagan Library/Getty Images

Brower told CNN the first lady wrote about the queen in her memoir and the two "had a good relationship."

Reagan wrote that the queen came to the ranch after the president and first lady mentioned it during a visit to Windsor Castle, and the queen wanted to ride horses.

Though the queen made it to the ranch, "the weather was awful, so instead the Reagans left the ranch to go on the royal yacht Britannia," Brower told CNN.

Despite the change of plans, Reagan wrote: "I spent that evening with the Queen, sitting on a sofa in the large living room, talking about our children like old friends."

In 1989, the queen granted Reagan honorary knighthood — the highest distinction the United Kingdom awards foreigners — in recognition of Reagan's assistance to the UK in the Falkland Wars.

Queen Elizabeth Reagan
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, pose with the insignia of the honour ary Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, which the Queen conferred on Reagan, after a lunch in Buckingham Palace, London, AP Photo/Martin Cleaver

Source: Associated Press

George H.W. Bush, a life-long baseball fan, took Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip to a Baltimore Orioles vs. Oakland Athletics game in 1991 — the first time the queen had been to a baseball game.

Queen Elizabeth George HW Bush
President George H. Bush escorts Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on the field at Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, May 15, 1991 in Baltimore, before the Orioles played the Oakland A's.Greg Gibson/AP

Source: Politico

After President Bush died in December 2018, the queen put out a statement that honored him as "a great friend and ally of the United Kingdom" and a "patriot." She also sent Prince Charles to represent the Royal Family at his funeral.

george hw bush queen elizabeth
President and Mrs. Bush pose with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, far left, Thursday, June 1, 1989 in London at Buckingham palace where the queen hosted a lunch for the first family.AP Photo/Doug Mills

Source: Town & Country, Marie Claire

“Her Majesty impressed me as someone who but for the circumstance of her birth, might have become a successful politician or diplomat. As it was, she had to be both, without quite seeming to be either," President Bill Clinton wrote of the queen in his memoir.

Queen Elizabeth Bill Clinton
In this Saturday, June 4, 1994 file photo, Britain's Queen Elizabeth smiles, as she sits alongside President Bill Clinton at a dinner in the Guildhall in Portsmouth, England, commemorating the 50th anniversary of D-Day.AP Photo/Doug Mills, File

Source: BBC America

In 2007, Queen Elizabeth poked some light-hearted fun at George W. Bush over his mistakenly saying she had to come to celebrate America's bicentennial in 1776 instead of 1976.

Queen Elizabeth George W Bush
President Bush toasts with Queen Elizabeth II, left, during a State Dinner at the White House on Monday, May 7, 2007 in WashingtonEvan Vucci/AP

Source: The Guardian

In 2009, President Barack Obama gifted the queen an iPod with historical video footage of her previous visits to the US going back to the 1950s, as well as his 2009 inaugural address and 2008 speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Barack Obama Queen Elizabeth
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, and U.S. President Barack Obama during a state banquet in Buckingham Palace, London, on Tuesday May 24, 2011.Lewis Whyld/AP

Source: BBC America

In her memoir "Becoming," Michelle Obama described accidentally violating royal protocol by putting her arm around the queen as a show of affection and support, but says Her Majesty didn't seem offended and reciprocated the gesture back.

Michelle Obama Queen Elizabeth
Michelle Obama, wife of U.S. President Barack Obama, left, walks with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at the reception at Buckingham Palace in London Wednesday, April 1, 2009.AP Photo/Daniel Hambury, pool

Sources: BBC America, Harper's Bazaar

President Donald Trump was accused of committing several royal faux-pas during his summer 2018 visit to England — including being late to meet the queen at Windsor Castle, walking in front of her, shaking her hand instead of bowing, and turning his back to her.

Trump Queen Elizabeth
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, background and US President of the United States Donald Trump walk from the Quadrangle after inspecting the Guard of Honour, during the president's visit to Windsor Castle,Richard Pohle/Pool Photo via AP

Sources: USA Today, The New York Times

While the queen has been diplomatically mum on her opinions of Trump, he has praised Her Majesty. "If you think of it, for so many years she has represented her country, she has really never made a mistake. You don't see, like, anything embarrassing. She is just an incredible woman," Trump said of the queen before their meeting.

donald trump queen elizabeth II
US President Donald Trump; Queen Elizabeth II.Tatyana Zenkovich/Pool via REUTERS; Geoff Pugh - WPA Pool /Getty; Business Insider/Rebecca Harrington

Source: Town & Country Magazine

Trump embarked on his second chance to connect with the queen in June 2019, when they opened the three-day state visit to the UK at Buckingham Palace. He joined her to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

donald trump queen
Melania Trump, Queen Elizabeth II, and President Donald Trump in June 2018.Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met with The Queen in June 2021, when they traveled to the United Kingdom for the G7 summit in Cornwall.

Queen Elizabeth and President Biden
Queen Elizabeth and President Biden at Windsor Castle on June 13.Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Biden was full of praise for The Queen, who he had first met in 1982 as a US Senator.

"I don't think she would be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother in terms of the look of her and just the generosity," Biden told reporters in 2021 after meeting with The Queen.

The Queen, known for her dry humor, also made Biden and other leaders laugh by joking: "Are you supposed to be looking as if you're enjoying yourself?" during a group photo, Politico reported at the time. 

The First Lady and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, also made an appearance at a school together.

Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and First Lady Jill Biden visitng a school
Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, left, and US First Lady Jill Biden, carrying carrots for the school rabbit, Storm, during a visit to Connor Downs Academy in Hayle, West Cornwall, during the G7 summit in England, Friday, June 11, 2021.Aaron Chown/Pool photo via AP

The Duchess and the First Lady paid a visit to the students at Connor Downs Academy and fed carrots to one of the school's rabbits, Storm.

Ellen Cranley contributed reporting. 

In a statement, the Bidens called Queen Elizabeth "a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons."

Joe and Jil Biden at Windsor Castle
President Joe Biden and Jill Biden visited the Queen at Windsor CastleWPA Pool/Getty Images

"Queen Elizabeth II led always with grace, an unwavering commitment to duty, and the incomparable power of her example," the Bidens said of The Queen.

 

Ellen Cranley contributed reporting. 

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