Royal Visit Encore

Queen Elizabeth Hosts the Bush's, Visits WW2 Memorial

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II had a busy day in Washington on Tuesday. She visited a school, chatted with astronauts at the NASA Goddard Center and toured the World War Two Memorial with former President and Mrs. Bush before hosting a dinner at the British embassy where they were also guests along with the current President and Mrs. Bush.

The visit to the WW2 Memorial underscores the message from her toast the previous evening where she cited the achievements made possible by the Atlantic Alliance. It's also a recognition of the sacrifice necessary to maintain our freedoms and the fact that without the alliance, Britain would likely not have survived the war.

At the British Embassy dinner, the Queen took a gentle jibe at President Bush by opening her toast with "Mr. President, I wondered whether I should start this toast saying, "When I was here in 1776."

Got to get one more hat photo in for you collectors.

From Mike's America Photo Archives: Mike Takes In Royal Visit in 1991

photo by Mike's America

I was present at the White House in May 1991 when Queen Elizabeth II made her previous State Visit to the United States during the presidency of George H.W. Bush ('41'). Later, as Her Majesty delivered a speech to a Joint Session of Congress, which I also attended, she joked that the White House podium had been set for the taller President Bush and all that people saw of her during her speech was a floating hat.

Funny, but she never made a State Visit during the Clinton years. But then, the Clinton's were too busy showering Yasser Arafat with attention. Lotta good that did.