American Presidential Visits to Britain

Despite their fractious past, the United Kingdom and the United States have had a ‘Special Relationship’ since the end of the Second World War, and the Royal Family’ role has been instrumental in that maintaining that relationship. American President Trump is set to undertake his second State Visit to the United Kingdom next week, which will be the latest in over a century of American Presidential Visits to Britain.

King George V and Queen Mary received American President Woodrow Wilson at Buckingham Palace on his visit to the United Kingdom in December 1918, just a month after the end of the First World War.

The next Presidential Visit to the the United Kingdom came in 1959, when President Eisenhower was received by the Queen and Royal Family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, two years after the Queen’s State Visit to the United States and over a decade after his previous visit to Balmoral as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe in 1946.

Two years later, the Queen (wearing the King George VI Sapphire Suite) and Duke of Edinburgh hosted a Dinner in honour of President John F Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy at Buckingham Palace.

In 1969, President Nixon had lunch with the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, and Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace, which was broadcast in the infamous 1969 ‘Royal Family’ documentary.

The Queen also met President Nixon at Chequers, the country residence of the British Prime Minister, the following year.

In 1977, President Carter was hosted by the Queen (in Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace and the Duchess of Gloucester’s Pendant Earrings) at a Dinner for NATO leaders during the 1977 London summit, at which he reportedly accidentally kissed the Queen Mother on the lips.

The Queen and Royal Family hosted President and Mrs Reagan for an Official Visit at Windsor Castle, which included a State Banquet held by the Queen (wearing the Vladimir Tiara) and a ride through Windsor Great Park.

Two years later, the President was back when the Queen (in the King George VI Festoon Necklace) held a Dinner for the Heads of Government of the United States, France, Canada, West Germany, Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom at Buckingham Palace, following the London Economic Summit.

The President and First Lady were also received by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on a subsequent visit to the United Kingdom in 1988, a year before she received President and Mrs Bush.

President Bush was back in London when the Queen (wearing her Emerald Tassel Suite) held a Dinner for World Leaders following the G7 Summit in London in 1991.

President Bill Clinton joined the Queen (in her Belgian Sapphire Tiara) and Heads of State for a Banquet at the Portsmouth Guildhall to mark the 50th Anniversary of D-Day in 1994.

President Bill Clinton and the First Lady were received by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in 1995, bringing their daughter along for a lunch with the Queen during a visit in 2000.

President and Mrs Bush were first received at Buckingham Palace in 2001, two years before making the first American State Visit, the previous ones were only Official Visits, when the Queen (wearing Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara) held a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace.

The President and First Lady were also received by the Queen at Windsor Castle in 2008, a year before the Queen met President and Mrs Obama when she held a Reception for World Leaders at Buckingham Palace during the G20 London Summit.

In 2011, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama made a State Visit to the United Kingdom, which included a State Banquet held by the Queen (wearing the Vladimir Tiara) at Buckingham Palace and a Return Dinner at the American Ambassador’s Residence.

President and Mrs Obama visited Britain again in 2016, where they had tea with the Queen and dinner with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry at Kensington Palace.

President Trump first met with the Queen at Windsor Castle during a visit to the United Kingdom in 2018, reviewing the guard and having tea.

The Royal Family hosted the President and First Lady Melania Trump on their State Visit to the United Kingdom in 2019, which also had a State Banquet held by the Queen (in the Burmese Ruby Tiara) at Buckingham Palace, the last of the Reign of the late Queen.