queen's last visit to usa

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This Is How Many Times Queen Elizabeth Has Visited America

During her long reign, Queen Elizabeth has met leaders from all around the world, including 13 out of the last 14 U.S. presidents , with Lyndon Johnson being the only commander in chief to miss out on a meeting with the queen (per Town & Country ). "In almost every instance, the Queen has also inspired admiration and respect. These are the qualities that underpin her unofficial title as her government's 'secret weapon,'" noted author Matthew Dennison in a piece for  The Telegraph .

Presidents to have visited the queen in her home country include Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden, but Queen Elizabeth has been a guest across the pond six times throughout the years. Elizabeth was not yet queen during her first visit to the United States when she was 25 years old in 1951. She and her husband , Prince Phillip, made the trip because her father, Queen George VI, was too sick to meet with Harry Truman in Washington D.C. The young couple clearly made a favorable impression on the president and his wife, with Truman stating "never before have we had such a wonderful young couple, who have so completely captured the hearts of all of us" (per Time ).

Four years after she became queen, Elizabeth returned to the United States in 1957, this time to meet with Dwight D. Eisenhower during the Cold War . She wouldn't be back on American soil until 1976 when she traveled to see Gerald Ford for the Bicentennial Celebration.

Queen Elizabeth has managed to charm every American president

Queen Elizabeth's last three visits to the United States came in 1983 to visit President Ronald Reagan at his California ranch; in 1991, when she met with George H.W. Bush and planted a tree on the South Lawn of the White House; and finally in 2007, when the queen commemorated the 400th anniversary of the English settlement in Jamestown during George W. Bush's presidency (per the White House Historical Association ).

Whether in the U.K. or the U.S., each of her meetings with American leaders has one thing in common: Queen Elizabeth has impressed every president. Barack Obama has called her "truly one of my favorite people" (per Time ), while Joe Biden boasted during his June 2021 visit to Windsor Castle that the queen was "extremely gracious, which is not surprising" (via  Town & Country ). He added that "she reminded me of my mother, in terms of the look of her and just the generosity." 

And even Donald Trump had kind words to say about the royal, stating, "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" (via  Business Insider ).

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Tracing Queen Elizabeth’s steps through the U.S.

By Danielle Paquette | Sep 10, 2022

During her seven-decade reign, Queen Elizabeth II visited more than two dozen cities across the United States. She chatted with Girl Scouts, football players, presidents and Frank Sinatra . She cheered on race horses in Kentucky. She requested a ham sandwich with the crust removed in Texas. She sported a tweed skirt-suit in Yosemite National Park.

Wherever England’s longest-serving monarch went, photographers followed, capturing generations of Americans in the throes of Royal fever (and more than a few signature handbags ).

Oct. 17, 1957 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II heads to the White House as crowd's line Washington streets to see the royal monarch.

Oct. 18, 1957 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II accepts a doll for Princess Anne from 7-year-old Pamela Springmann during a visit at Children's Hospital.

Queen Elizabeth II and Vice President Richard Nixon tilt their heads for a better view of the oil paintings on the interior of the Capitol dome during a tour.

Oct. 19, 1957 | College Park, Md.

Co-captains of North Carolina and Maryland meet Queen Elizabeth II before the start of a game.

Oct. 21, 1957 | New York

Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a mink stole, and Prince Philip, standing next to a viewing telescope, view New York City from the observatory roof of the Empire State Building. The Queen said, "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Queen Elizabeth II, in a plastic domed car, rides up lower Broadway through a shower of ticker tape and confetti during procession to City Hall.

Queen Elizabeth II addresses the United Nations General Assembly.

Her Majesty kicked off a seven-city tour of the nation’s east in 1976 with a stop in Philadelphia, where she unveiled a gift for the City of Brotherly Love: a Bicentennial Bell to celebrate 200 years of American independence from English rule. (The bell remains in storage .)

July 7, 1976 | Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip walk down the ramp of their aircraft near Washington.

July 7, 1976 | Philadelphia

Queen Elizabeth II is greeted by the Girl Scouts of America.

July 8, 1976 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the U.S. Capitol.

On her New York leg, Elizabeth was spotted squeezing through city throngs, underscoring the lighter security protocols of yesteryear.

July 10, 1976 | New York

Thousands surround Queen Elizabeth II as she walks from the Federal Building up Wall Street to Trinity Church with Mayor Abraham Beame.

J Walter Green

July 10, 1976 | Charlottesville, Va.

Queen Elizabeth II tours Thomas Jefferson's Monticello home.

July 11, 1976 | Boston

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave to spectators below from the balcony of the Old State House before the Queen descended to street level to address the crowd. The location is the site of the Boston massacre, an event which led to the Revolutionary War.

Elizabeth returned in 1983 for a trek through the West Coast. She visited a Southern California retirement home, led a champagne toast with then-president Ronald Reagan and absorbed the mountain views at Yosemite National Park.

Feb. 26, 1983 | San Diego

Queen Elizabeth II reviews the U.S. Marine Corps honor guard as she arrives for a State visit.

Feb. 28, 1983 | Sierra Madre

Queen Elizabeth II shares a smile with 97-year-old Sibyl Jones-Bateman after the monarch was presented with a bouquet during tour of the British Home retirement community near Los Angeles.

March 3, 1983 | San Francisco

President Ronald Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II raise their glasses in a toast during a state dinner at the M. H. de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.

Ed Reinke/AP

March 5, 1983 | Yosemite, Calif.

Park superintendent Bob Binnewies points out highlights from Inspiration Point to Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Yosemite National Park.

The queen, a horse racing enthusiast, landed in Kentucky five times between 1984 and 2007, according to the Courier-Journal . She was known to turn up at horse farms, admiring the mares and foals.

May 23, 1986 | Versailles, Ky.

Queen Elizabeth II puts out her hand to her filly foal by the mare Christchurch and Alydar during a visit to Lane's End Farm.

May 27, 1986 | Lexington, Ky.

Queen Elizabeth II exchanges pleasantries with a line of Fayette County (Ky.) and Kentucky State Troopers on the tarmac as prepares to depart following a five-day visit.

Amy Sancetta/Associated Press

May 26, 1989 | Lexington, Ky.

Queen Elizabeth II is welcomed by a child upon her arrival during a private visit to the U.S.

David Banks

During her 1991 visit, Elizabeth addressed Congress. Lawmakers gave the monarch a standing ovation, while opponents of British occupation in Northern Ireland protested outside the Capitol.

May 14, 1991 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II and President George H.W. Bush review the troops after the Queen's arrival at the White House.

May 15, 1991 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II holds flowers presented to her at Drake Place, a housing project.

May 16, 1991 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II is applauded by Vice President Dan Quayle and House Speaker Thomas Foley before her address to the U.S. Congress.

Doug Mills/AP

Elizabeth’s last U.S. state visit came in 2007, when she arrived for the 400th anniversary of England establishing its first permanent North American settlement in Jamestown, Va.

She dined with then-president George W. Bush, watched the Kentucky Derby through bulletproof glass and checked out Washington memorials.

May 4, 2007 | Lexington, Ky.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip look out of the window of an SUV as they leave the Bluegrass Airport after arriving.

Morry Gash/AP

May 5, 2007 | Louisville, Ky.

Queen Elizabeth II chats with Prince Philip as Susan Lucci (black hat) looks on at the 133rd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Rob Carr/AP

May 7, 2007, | Washington

President Bush smiles at Queen Elizabeth II before the start of a State Dinner at the White House.

Evan Vucci/AP

May 8, 2007 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II and U.S. Park Service Director Mary Bomar walk around the National World War II Memorial during a visit by the Queen and Duke.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

May 8, 2007 | Greenbelt, Md.

Queen Elizabeth II accepts flowers from children while walking during a visit to the Goddard Space Flight Center.

Larry Downing

Elizabeth made her final stop on American soil in 2010 to address the United Nations General Assembly. “I believe I was last here in 1957,” she deadpanned to her New York audience.

July 6, 2010 | New York

Queen Elizabeth II leaves a wreath of flowers at the site of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack during her visit.

Lucas Jackson

Queen Elizabeth II speaks at the United Nations Headquarters.

Seth Wenig/AP

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Looking Back at Queen Elizabeth II's Visits to NYC Through the Years

Take a look at Queen Elizabeth's visits to the tri-state area over the years.

Published September 9, 2022 • Updated on September 9, 2022 at 12:38 pm

Queen Elizabeth II passed away Thursday at the age of 96, prompting a wave of worldwide mourning and tributes for the monarch who reigned for seven decades.

During the years as head of the British Royal Family, Queen Elizabeth traveled the world many times over, including visiting the tristate area -- particularly New York City -- on numerous occasions.

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QUEEN ELIZABETH II'S FIRST VISIT TO NYC (1957)

Queen Elizabeth II visited New York City in 1957 -- five years after her accession to the throne when she was just 25 years old. The queen was met with a motorcade and a ticker-tape parade as she traveled down Fifth Avenue. It was during this Royal Tour that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited the top of the Empire State Building. ( The building lit up in purple and silver in honor of the queen Thursday evening. )

Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II VISITS TRI-STATE AREA TO CELEBRATE BICENTENNIAL OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION (1976)

New Yorker among 6 more deaths now linked to Boar's Head deli meat listeria outbreak

Long Island gun dealer busted after allegedly selling firearms hidden in diaper boxes

During her world travels,  Queen Elizabeth made a brief trip to Connecticut as well as to New York City in July 1976 as part of the celebration of the Bicentennial of the American Revolution.

During Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh's visit to New York City, they visited the New York Stock Exchange and managed to squeeze in a visit to Bloomingdale's. She was even named an honorary citizen of the city.

Documentation of the visit is maintained by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.

On the night of Friday, July 9, 1976,  Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, set sail on the HMY Britannia from New York to New Haven .

The  New York Times website  has a story from the Associated Press from July 11, 1976, which says 50,000 people lined the docks, streets and the airport in New Haven for a glimpse of the queen’s 40‐minute visit.

QUEEN ELIZABETH'S 2010 VISIT INCLUDES TRIBUTE TO 9/11 VICTIMS

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh's 2010 visit to New York City was the culmination of an 8-day tour of Canada. A day before heading back to England, the queen addressed the United Nations. Before this, she last addressed the UN in 1957.

The queen's trip was an emotional one, as Her Majesty and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh visited Ground Zero and paid their respects to the lives lost during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and laid a wreath at the site of the World Trade Center.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh also visited The British Garden in Hanover Square located in the Financial District. The garden stands as a memorial memorial to the British who died at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Two years later, the garden was renamed "The Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden, Inc.” as the memorial for all the Commonwealth victims of the 9/11 attacks and honoring Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee.

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Why Queen Elizabeth was so very fond of America

She was just 25 and still a princess when she and prince philip made their first visit to united states in 1951, writes andrew buncombe.

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Louise Thomas

S he met every sitting US president but one. She stayed with another president, Harry Truman , before she was even the monarch, and met one more, Herbert Hoover, 20 years after he had left office.

Queen Elizabeth II –  whose funeral service has been held after she died earlier this month aged 96 after 70 years on the throne – made six official trips to the US, including three state visits with all the pomp and ceremony that involved. She also made a number of private visits, many of them in pursuit of her love of horse racing and the thoroughbreds of Kentucky.

She was just 25 and still a princess when she, and Prince Philip, made her first visit to the United States in 1951, staying with President Truman at Blair House while renovations to the White House were being carried out.

In 1957, she and Philip returned for her first state visit and were met at the White House by President Dwight Eisenhower and his wife Mamie.

He was the first serving president she met during her reign, which began in 1952.

In 2021, the Queen met Joe Biden – whom she had previously spoken to when he was a senator – bringing to 13 the total of presidents in office she met. The only sitting president she did not speak to face to face was Lyndon Johnson.

In one obvious sense, the number of American presidents she met is a striking reminder of the length of her reign. (When Eisenhower was in office, his political counterpart in London was Winston Churchill.)

Latest updates as Queen Elizabeth dies peacefully in Scotland

Supporters and admirers of the Queen say the connections she was able to make helped add personal cement to the relationship between the two countries, almost 250 years after what was a British colony fought for and secured its independence from King George III.

And diplomats from both the US and Britain say London was able to use the Queen’s soft power, and the prospect of a photo opportunity at Buckingham Palace, knowing the allure it held to some, even if they got to meet other heads of state all around the world. (In 2018, the Queen hosted Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, even as anti-Trump protesters demonstrated in central London and inflated a balloon that showed the US president wearing a nappy – or diaper).

Elizabeth was just 13 when the Second World War broke out, and she came of age – later serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women’s branch of the British army – at a time when the US’s importance to Britain, and to its very survival, could not have been more stark.

Historian Robert Hardman, author of a number of books about the monarch including Queen of the World , says her growing up at a time of conflict – she served in the Women’s Land Army – resulted in her seeing the United States as a saviour of sorts for Britain and Europe.

That in turn has helped to shape the way many Americans, particularly admirers of the monarch, view her.

“It was quite well summed up years ago by a Washington journalist based in London: he just said that the Queen, to so many Americans, symbolised stability and permanence in a changing world – characteristics that people find very endearing,” he tells The Independent . “The shared bond of sacrifice, the war, the Second World War in particular, is seen as a big deal in public life.”

He adds: “Generations move on, but the royal family is very much identified with that sort of great transatlantic alliance that – it’s not an exaggeration to say – saved the free world.”

A royal diplomatic carrot

Diplomats from the US and Britain have said the Queen was used frequently to the benefit of both sides, even if any record of the visits of Her Majesty to the US, or a US president to Britain, tend to contain any manner of incidents of “protocol breaches”, as noted by royal watchers.

These included Trump’s walking in front of the Queen, instead of alongside her, and turning his back on her as they reviewed an honour guard, and Michelle Obama’s brief placing of an arm around the Queen’s back as they commiserated with each other about their aching feet.

In 2007, during the Queen’s last visit to the US, George W Bush momentarily mixed up a date of an earlier trip – a 1976 state dinner to mark the bicentennial of the American Revolution – saying she had been there in “17….”. He caught himself before he went any further, and added: “She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child.”

The 1976 visit was also not without note. Gerald Ford threw a dinner at the White House and invited the likes of Cary Grant. Reports suggest all went well until Ford led the Queen to the dance floor, perhaps not aware that the song sounding out through the room was “The Lady Is a Tramp”.

“I think it’s useful on both sides,” says Raymond Seitz, a career diplomat who served as US ambassador to London from 1991 to 1994, the last non-political appointee dispatched by Washington to the Court of St James’s.

“For the British, I think it is useful to see that there is a commonality of interests and history that has more or less worked to the benefit of both countries. Of course, the Queen will do her duty no matter what she thinks of the US president.

“And on the American side, because we tend to be a little rambunctious in our politics, and some of our decision-making, having affirmation from the British, not to mention participation from the British, is always valuable for an American president. So it’s not America going alone.”

Seitz says the US is overwhelmingly a celebrity culture. And because the Queen has been seen in that pigeonhole, few have understood her specific role or the purpose of the Commonwealth.

“There’s this extremely glamorous aspect to the monarchy. And so Americans want to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace,” he says. “And you don’t have to be a descendant of Anglos to like it, you know, Italian Americans go and Black Americans go and it’s just something to see.”

Seitz travelled with the Queen to Texas and Florida in 1991, when George HW Bush was president, and the monarch embarked on a 13-day tour that would include an address to Congress and a visit to the baseball match between the Baltimore Orioles and the Oakland Athletics. (A preview in The New York Times noted that the Queen “will be offered a hot dog but that she does not eat in public”.)

At the White House, she joked about being part of the bicentennial celebrations 15 years earlier.

“With gallant disregard for history, we shared wholeheartedly in the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the founding of this great nation,” she said.

She told the joint session of Congress: “The concept, so simply described by Abraham Lincoln as ‘government by the people, of the people, for the people’, is fundamental to our two nations. Your Congress and our parliament are the twin pillars of our civilisations and the chief among the many treasures that we have inherited from our predecessors.”

Seitz says the royal visitors drew warm crowds, even if not everyone was certain of who precisely they were.

“In Austin, Texas, the crowds were out, and they were waving little union jacks, and not quite sure who she was, but that she was pretty terrific,” he says. “And I think most people have just a very favourable image of her. And of course, the older she is, the longer she’s there, she’s like everybody’s grandmother.”

Seitz says he spoke to the Queen several times, always at social events.

“She has a very good sense of humour. And she’s very easy to talk to and interested in things and follows up after a conversation,” he adds.

“And she has a charming laugh. She says, when something’s funny, she really enjoys the humour of it. My encounters were always very pleasant. But I never had to talk hard business.”

‘Free men everywhere look towards the United States with affection and with hope’

Elizabeth’s first visit to the US was in October 1951, when the 25-year-old was not yet Queen. She and Philip spent two days in Washington DC, hosted by President Truman and his wife Bess. They had travelled to DC from Canada, where she was also making her first trip.

Her father, George VI, was very ill from lung cancer at this point, and he would die just months later, on 6 February 1952, his death at Sandringham Estate setting in motion Elizabeth’s ascent to the throne, and her subsequent coronation in June 1953.

Reports noted Elizabeth gave Truman an elaborate 18th-century “overmantle” to hang above a fireplace in the White House.

Meeting the royal couple at Washington national airport, Truman said: “I think your visit will improve – if that is possible – the cordial relations that exist between our two great countries, and I hope that while you are here you will have a very enjoyable time.”

In response, Elizabeth said during her time in Canada, she heard “much of the warm goodwill felt by the people of the United States towards the people of Canada, and I am glad that before sailing for England we are to have this chance of seeing at least some of the country with which the whole British Commonwealth has so many friendly ties”.

She added: “Free men everywhere look towards the United States with affection and with hope. The message that has gone out from this great capital city has brought hope and courage to a troubled world.”

Later, Truman said that, while he had received many guests in Washington, “never before have we had such a wonderful young couple, who have so completely captured the hearts of all of us”.

A new age of discovery – plus a game of college football

Five years after that first visit to the US, the Queen and Prince Phillip returned for her first state visit, the 31-year-old monarch being met at the White House by President Eisenhower and his wife Mamie. Eisenhower was the first serving president she met during her reign.

In addition to events in Washington DC and New York, the Queen attended the 350th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in 1607, the first permanent English settlement in North America. (It was also the site of the first landing of slaves, in 1619, the commencement of more than two centuries of slavery that would continue until the end of the American civil war in 1865.)

The Queen received a 21-gun salute and was welcomed at Jamestown by Virginia governor Thomas Stanley.

According to a report in the Richmond Times Dispatch , Elizabeth said in her remarks: “I cannot think of a more appropriate point for us to start our visit to the United States.”

She added: “The settlement in Jamestown was the beginning of a series of overseas settlements made throughout the world by British pioneers. Jamestown grew and became the United States. Those other settlements grew and became nations now united in our great Commonwealth.”

The Queen visited an exhibit of the settlement and had tea at the College of William and Mary, and attended a religious service in the Old Tower Church on Jamestown island. She and Philip would spend two nights at the Williamsburg Inn.

To bring the Queen to Washington, Eisenhower had sent his official aircraft, the Columbine III , to Patrick Henry airport in Newport News.

At a state dinner at the White House, the Queen said; “There are many indications today that we are at the beginning of a new age of discovery and exploration in the world of human knowledge and technology. Only a short time ago these unexplored areas of human knowledge seemed as impenetrable as the forests of this continent to the settlers 350 years ago.”

Her visit also took in a college football match, watching the Maryland Terrapins beat the North Carolina Tar Heels 21-7, at the University of Maryland, on the outskirts of Washington DC.

The Queen left for New York, where she addressed a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

She said: “This assembly was born of the endeavours of countless men and women from different nations who, over the centuries, have pursued the aims of the preservation of peace between nations, equality of justice for all before the law and the right of the peoples of the world to live their lives in freedom and security.”

She would not return to the US on an official basis until 1976 when she travelled to see Gerald Ford for the bicentennial celebration, an event that was also a state visit. She made official trips, though not state visits, in 1983 when she visited President Ronald Reagan, 1991 when she met President George HW Bush, and 2007 when she returned for the 400th anniversary of the English settlement in Jamestown

‘The only absolutely central item in president’s visit is this riding event’

Perhaps the most telling insight of the Queen’s power as a diplomatic tool with the wrapping of pageantry came during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, who served two terms, and visited London in June 1982 while the Falklands conflict was still going on.

The British government, led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was concerned to ensure the US’s support in a critical UN vote over the Falklands. The visit by Reagan was the first by a president for five years, but the invitation from the Queen – rather than the government – was the first of its kind since one made to Woodrow Wilson in 1919.

Reagan also had to juggle a one-day trip to the Vatican to visit the Pope, an economic summit in Paris, and the fallout from the British media again finding fault with a breach of protocol. (First lady Nancy shook hands and did not curtsy, triggering a series of hard stories.)

Reagan was also the first US president to address the Houses of Parliament.

Yet, documents obtained by the historian Hardman under a freedom of information request show the importance Reagan attached to an invitation from the Queen to ride with her at Windsor.

“Mrs Thatcher had worked very hard to bring Ronald Reagan onside in the conflict, despite the reluctance of some American strategists for whom Argentina served as a bulwark against the spread of communism in South America,” Hardman writes in Queen of Our Times .

Documents show Sir Nico Henderson, the British ambassador to Washington, reporting to London: “I need hardly say that the only absolutely stable and central item in any discussion of the president’s visit is this riding event.”

The ride, which lasted an hour around the Windsor estate, went off without a hitch, despite being “pursued by US Secret Service outriders in a state of near panic”.

Reagan wrote in his diaries that day: “Flew out for London and helicoptered to Windsor Castle. This was a fairy tale experience.”

A year later, Reagan returned the compliment, inviting the Queen to ride with him at his ranch in California, an offer he did not make to any other head of state.

Hardman says reading the documents it becomes clear that this was the “personal magic, which really matters to the most powerful man in the world at the time when Britain really needs his help”.

‘She’s enjoyed discussing horse breeding and meeting the people who run these farms’

In addition to the six official visits to the US, the Queen made several private visits and in particular was drawn to the bluegrass state of Kentucky. There she pursued her fondness for horse racing.

Her first visit came in October 1984, to celebrate the inauguration of a race named in her honour, the Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes, held at Keeneland, Lexington. The first race’s winner was Sintra, a Kentucky-bred horse. 

Seth Hancock, one of the half-owners of the horse, told a reporter from the Lexington Courier-Journal : “The queen’s a regular person, just like my mother and all the other classy ladies I’ve known in my life.”

The other half-owner, Renee Lickle, confessed to being more starstruck. “My hands were shaking so hard I couldn’t even hold my binoculars straight.”

She returned in 1986 and 1989, for what officials said was a “working holiday” with few if any public appearances.

The Queen is said to have stayed at Lane’s End, a farm in Versailles, west of Lexington, owned by her friend William Farish and where she stabled horses. Farish met Prince Charles while playing polo and was introduced to the Queen at a match she sponsored in England. Farish would later serve as US ambassador to London.

British embassy spokesman Francis Cornish told reporters at the time that the Queen was returning to Kentucky because there was no match for its status as a centre of horse breeding, and she had “thoroughly enjoyed herself” during her previous two visits.

“She’s enjoyed seeing the stallions,” Cornish said. “She’s enjoyed discussing horse breeding and she’s very much enjoyed meeting the people who run these farms and own these farms.”

The Queen returned twice more to Kentucky, in 1991, as the “unofficial” part of her official visit, and in May 2007 when she and Philip attended the 133rd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Former Buckingham Palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter told the WLKY television channel that year: “There are those ... who would probably say that she likes animals a little more than she likes people. And I suppose it can be argued that the animals are always pleased to see you and they don’t argue back.”

‘For many Americans it’s amazing she was Queen when Winston Churchill was prime minister’

The Queen’s last official visit to the United States was in May 2007 when she travelled to mark the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, near Williamsburg, Virginia.

She was welcomed at the White House by George W Bush, and at the British embassy in Washington DC by the ambassador Sir David Manning. In his role as Britain’s envoy, Sir David accompanied the Queen’s party.

He believes the Queen’s admiration for the US was largely mutual.

“The affection for her was very clear when she came to the United States on her last state visit in 2007,” he says from London.

“And the one in 2007, in some ways, reprised the very first one because she arrived in Jamestown, and then went to Williamsburg. And when she stayed in Williamsburg, she stayed in a hotel that had wonderful photographs of her from the very first time in 1957.”

Sir David points out that the Queen met every US president who served during her reign bar Lyndon Johnson.

“And it was a source of fascination and amazement to many Americans that this was somebody who first came to the throne when Winston Churchill was the British prime minister,” he says. “And Churchill, as we all know very well, is a cult figure in the United States.”

He adds that for many Americans there was a sense of history about her, a link that goes right back to those days of Eisenhower and Churchill. “She, I think, is also enormously admired as being someone who lived through the Second World War.”

Sir David says during their time in Washington DC, the Queen and Prince Philip visited the then recently new World War II Memorial. They toured it, not with Bush but Bush’s father, George HW Bush, and former first lady Barbara Bush.

“This was a very moving event because all of them had lived through the war. There was Prince Philip, who had been on destroyers, and the Queen had been in the [Women’s] Land Army, and President Bush had been a fighter pilot,” he says.

“And I think this all has great resonance for Americans. And so I think there is a fascination and attachment.”

Sir David also spent 10 years as an adviser to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate), and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Harry and Meghan).

In March 2021, Meghan and Harry delivered a withering account of the palace in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, accusing it of racism and officials of ignoring the couple’s appeal for help with their mental wellbeing.

Does Sir David believe events like that, or allegations made against her second son Prince Andrew in lawsuits filed in New York of sexual assault – claims he denied but which the Queen helped him to financially settle – tarnished her reputation?

He says that now he is living outside the US, it is impossible for him to say. However, he doubts it.

“Maybe other members of the family come up and come down, and they’re less or more popular, but I think the Queen is in a rather special category of her own, probably,” he says.

“I doubt whether the assessment of her is much affected by what the rest of the family do.”

He says that the controversy over Meghan and Harry is, of course, part of her reign, but doubts “it will much impact on how she was viewed from the United States”.

He says that she was “championing the Commonwealth, she’s champion decolonisation, she’s obviously absolutely happy in the company of all sorts of leaders from all around the world, and what’s more, she knows them all very well, I think that is much more the image Americans are likely to take away”.

Final visit and a ‘vision in champagne’

During the six-day state visit in 2007, the staff at the Williamsburg Inn had set out photographs of the Queen, from her first visit 40 years earlier. The Inn has a long history of welcoming heads of state and government, and VIPs, among them the late Margaret Thatcher, who in 1993 was made chancellor of the College of William and Mary, located in Williamsburg.

Leslie Noble, the general manager, recalls her visit as one that was very warm and says that for many staff, the Queen’s visit would have been special, particularly given she was coming to celebrate 400 years since the founding of Jamestown.

Noble was supposed to have been in the farewell line that sent her off but because of a mix-up, she and her staff were sent out to wave at her departing helicopter.

“I was so impressed by her composure with this crowd in the lobby. How kind she was to the two little girls that gave the flowers,” she says, speaking from Williamsburg.

“She was only here less than 24 hours. But I watched her go up and down the staircase to her suite numerous times. Travelling up the steps like it was nothing, and these high-heeled shoes, and just the energy she had, even in her eighties.

“And I thought how remarkable she was, always seemed so composed and so friendly, smiling to people, even as she was heading back to her room to change for the next event that she had,” she adds.

Noble recalls that ahead of her visit, the Inn had been contacted by the Queen’s senior dresser, Angela Kelly, whose formal title is personal adviser to Her Majesty (The Queen’s Wardrobe).

She says Kelly told her the Queen had described her 1957 visit in such detail that she felt she had visited the Inn herself, even though at that point she had not.

The monarch had even remembered the gown she wore, though not its colour, as she had that item in two particular tones – blue and beige. Most photographs from the time were black and white.

Nat Reed, the Inn’s former superintendent of guest services, had worked during the Queen’s first visit, and retired in 1984.

During the time of the Queen’s second visit, Reed was in his nineties, but his memory was also sharp. (Reed died in 2009, aged 93, and his story in the Richmond Times was headlined “Nathaniel Reid, who served royalty at Williamsburg Inn, dies at 93”.)

“When asked about the colour of the gown – and they didn’t give him a choice – he just immediately said ‘she was a vision in champagne’,” says Noble.

“So she did remember her time with us and remembers that enough that she described it 50 years later in such detail, even the gown.”

Noble adds: “The fact that she remembered meant so much to us. To think with everything that she had seen and done in 50 years, she had enough of a memory of us.”

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Here’s How Every Meeting Between the Queen and a U.S. President Went

G iven Queen Elizabeth II’s record as the world’s longest-reigning monarch before her death on Sept. 8, she had met a huge number of world leaders. Notably she met 13 of the 14 U.S. presidents who have held office since her coronation in 1952—all except Lyndon B. Johnson, who only made state visits to Asia during his time in office.

The most recent U.S. president to visit the U.K. and meet Queen Elizabeth II was President Biden, in June 2021. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met the Queen at Windsor Castle where they had afternoon tea at the end of the G7 leaders’ summit.

The Queen also met President Donald Trump in 2019 at Buckingham Palace where he was also hosted for a state dinner during an official state visit to Britain. There were protests in several cities condemning the U.K.’s red-carpet treatment of the controversial president.

Below, a timeline of what happened during the Queen’s previous meetings with American leaders.

Harry Truman – October 31, 1951

Elizabeth was not yet queen when, at the age of 25, the princess first met an American president. Harry Truman and his wife Bess hosted Elizabeth and Prince Philip on a two-day visit to Washington D.C. Acting on behalf of her father King George VI, who was gravely ill at the time, Elizabeth gave Truman an ornate 18th-century ‘over mantle’ to hang above a fireplace in the White House, as Pathé newsreel from the time shows. The president said that, while he had received many guests in Washington, “never before have we had such a wonderful young couple, who have so completely captured the hearts of all of us.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower – October 17, 1957

Four years after she was crowned, Queen Elizabeth made her first state visit to the U.S., midway through Dwight D. Eisenhower’s two terms as president. The visit came during the Cold War—a crucial time for the U.S.-U.K alliance. British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was also in town for urgent talks with the American leadership. The Queen, though, found time for more lighthearted events, as chronicled by LIFE Magazine , including a state dinner, a visit to Jamestown, Va.—site of the first British settlement in America—and her first American college football game. She also met former President Herbert Hoover at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Two years later Elizabeth hosted Eisenhower at Balmoral.

John F. Kennedy – June 15, 1961

Half a million people turned out to greet President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline when they arrived in London for a visit in 1961, just a few months after Kennedy’s inauguration. Netflix series The Crown recreated the visit in its second season, making much of the First Lady’s alleged criticisms of the Queen’s old-fashioned style. The royals hosted the Kennedys at a lavish state dinner at Buckingham Palace and the President later wrote to the Queen saying he would “always cherish the memory of that delightful evening.”

Richard Nixon – February 15, 1969

The Queen had already met Nixon in 1957 when he was Vice President under Eisenhower. But their first meeting as two heads of state took place in 1969 when Nixon made an informal visit to the U.K., shortly after taking office. The Queen and Prince Philip hosted him at Buckingham Palace and exchanged signed photos of themselves, while a television crew captured the occasion for a documentary called the Royal Family, broadcast later that year.

Gerald Ford – July 17, 1976

Shortly after the 200th anniversary of America’s declaration of independence from Britain , the Queen came to Washington to celebrate the continuing relationship between the two countries with a state dinner hosted by Gerald Ford and his wife Betty. The pair shared a dance and the President promised the Queen , “the United States [has] never forgotten its British heritage.” First Lady Betty Ford later wrote in her memoir that “the Queen was easy to deal with” and “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.”

Jimmy Carter – May 7, 1977

A year after her visit for the American Independence Bicentennial, the Queen hosted President Jimmy Carter at Buckingham Palace for a dinner with other heads of state during a NATO summit. Carter famously broke royal protocol by kissing the Queen Mother on the lips. She was apparently mortified , saying “Nobody has done that since my husband died.”

Ronald Reagan – June 7, 1982

In 1982, traveling with his wife Nancy, Ronald Reagan became the first American president to stay overnight at Windsor Castle—which Trump is set to visit after spending the night at the U.S. ambassador’s home in central London. It was the first of three trips the Reagans made to see the Queen in the U.K., and she also visited their ranch near Santa Barbara, Ca., in 1983. Reagan wrote in his memoir that the 1982 trip was a “fairytale visit” and one of the most “fun” moments of his presidency. He said the highlight was horseback riding with Elizabeth while Nancy and Philip rode in a horse-drawn carriage. “I must admit, the Queen is quite an accomplished horsewoman,” he wrote.

George H.W. Bush – June 1, 1989

George H.W. Bush first met the Queen in 1989 in London. During the visit, Bush also met Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who, he wrote disparagingly in his memoir , gave him “a lecture on freedom.” Elizabeth, meanwhile, took the Bushes on a tour of Buckingham Palace . The Queen reciprocated the visit with a trip to Washington two years later.

Bill Clinton – June 4, 1994

President Clinton made several visits to the U.K. during his presidency, in part because of his involvement in the peace process in Northern Ireland. He first met the Queen at a banquet honoring the 50th anniversary of World War II’s D-Day in the city of Portsmouth, southern England. Six years later the Queen hosted Bill, Hilary and Chelsea at Buckingham Palace for tea.

George W. Bush – November 21, 2003

George W. Bush first met the Queen over lunch at Buckingham Palace during a six-day European tour in 2001 and in 2003 became the first U.S. president to make an official state visit to the U.K . It was the Queen’s most controversial meeting with an American president—until Trump. To coincide with Bush’s visit in November, around 100,000 people took to the streets to protest the Iraq War , reportedly costing the U.K. millions in security spending during the three-day visit. The demonstration culminated with protesters toppling an effigy of Bush, recalling scenes of the fall of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Baghdad six months earlier. George and Laura Bush were treated to a 41-gun salute and later attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Barack Obama – May 24, 2011

Barack and Michelle Obama met Elizabeth and Philip on a state visit in 2011. The Obamas presented her with a set of memorabilia and photographs from her parents’ trip to the U.S. in 1939. In return, she gave them a collection of letters exchanged between previous monarchs and U.S. presidents. Looking at the letters relating to the American Revolution, Obama joked, “That was only a temporary blip in the relationship.” The Obamas met the Queen twice more and on her 90th birthday the president said , “She is truly one of my favorite people.”

Donald Trump – July 13, 2018 and June 3, 2019

President Trump first met the Queen on an official visit in 2018, when they had tea at Windsor Castle. He largely avoided London, where tens of thousands of protesters turned out to criticize his rhetoric and policy on issues including migration, gender and LGBTQ rights.

On his 2019 visit, the President and first Lady spent more time with the Royals than they did the year before — though once again there were protests in a number of parts of the country. They flew by helicopter to Buckingham Palace and were greeted by the Queen, Prince Charles and Camila Parker-Bowles. The couple shook hands with the Queen before heading inside for a private lunch.

President Trump and First Lady Melania also dined with the royals and some 170 guests with ties to the U.S. in the grand ballroom of Buckingham Palace. Outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May attended the dinner but leaders of the U.K.’s main opposition parties — Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn and the Liberal Democrats’ Vince Cable — declined to attend.

Joe Biden – June 13, 2021

President Biden met the Queen at Windsor Castle along with First Lady Jill Biden. Their visit included a Guard of Honor and afternoon tea with the Queen. Their visit was at the end of the G7 Summit in Cornwall. The President and First Lady also met the Queen a few days earlier at a reception for G7 leaders.

President Biden said they had spoken about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He also said that he told her she reminded him of his mother.

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Queen Elizabeth II 'floored' Americans during final visit to US in 2007

She impressed in the jamestown settlement with her grace and ability to wear heels on rocky ground.

September 20, 2022

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Queen Elizabeth II and the White House

Beginning in 1951, Queen Elizabeth II cultivated a seventy-year friendship with the White House, visiting the United States several times as both princess and queen. Her visits have included four State Visits, five State Dinners, and two unofficial visits during her reign. In seventy years, Queen Elizabeth II participated in many important White House traditions and met more U.S. presidents than any other head of state. In this collection, explore the decades-long history of Queen Elizabeth II and the White House.

Click here to purchase White House History Quarterly #64: Queen Elizabeth II: The Royal Visits

Compiled by the White House Historical Association. Please credit the Association by its full name when using this information.

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The White House and Queen Elizabeth II

The White House and Queen Elizabeth II shared a long history of friendship and diplomacy. Queen Elizabeth II’s reign spanned 14 presidential administrations.

Queen Elizabeth II

As the longest-reigning British monarch in history, Queen Elizabeth II met with more than a dozen sitting American presidents. Explore the gallery to learn more about these historic moments!

New Issue of White House History Quarterly, “Queen Elizabeth II: The Royal Visits” Available on Pre-Order Today

The White House Historical Association (WHHA) today released the 64th issue of its award-winning magazine, White House History Quarterly. Queen Elizabeth II visited the United States as princess and queen, officially and privately, eight times, from 1951 to 2010, never failing to make front page news. She has met more U.S. presidents than any other head of state, thirteen of the

Examples of State Dinners Throughout History

December 22, 1874: First State Dinner for a foreign head of state King Kalakaua of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Hosted by President Ulysses S. Grant, the king had royal food testers to sample the more than 20-course White House dinner. 1902: The Roosevelt renovation included a major expansion of the State Dining Room from entertaining approximately 40 guests to the accommodation of 120 people. The

Reagan's Ranch in the Heavens

Commonly known as “Ranch in the Sky,” Rancho del Cielo was President Ronald Reagan’s rural property in the Santa Ynez Mountains just outside Santa Barbara, California.1 The Pacific Ocean, just a few miles to the south, can be seen from the peaks that nestle the small ranch house.2 It was among these mountains that President Reagan found the perfect reprie

Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day": Entertainment

The Roosevelts loved to entertain. During their thirteen-year stay in the White House, they used the mansion's grand setting to host receptions for congressmen, senators, governors, justices of the Supreme Court, foreign dignitaries, and even royalty. Less formal affairs included simple lunches or dinners with family and friends, intimate cocktail parties, teas, and game nights, as well as impromptu skits

Marian Anderson Performs at the White House

One of the most memorable performances in White House history was Marian Anderson’s rendition of Schubert’s "Ave Maria" as the culmination of a gala "Evening of American Music" presented by Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939. The entertainment was planned for a state visit by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England. Anderson’s powerful voice soared that evenin

Visiting the White House

Read Digital Edition Foreword, William SealeCollecting White House Memories: Silver Spoons as Souvenirs, Rebecca Yerkes RogersA Visit to the White House in the 1940s: A Childhood Memory, Jeannine Smith ClarkThe President Smiled at Me and Other Memories of Washington, Lonn TaylorGrand Duke Alexis, A "Scion of Despotism," Visits the Ulysses S. Grant White House, Lee A. FarrowThe Infanta Eulalia of

The United Kingdom and Ireland in the White House

For over two centuries, the United Kingdom and Ireland have enjoyed a relationship with the United States unparalleled in world history. The White House Historical Association, together with the British Embassy and the Embassy of Ireland, is illuminating these remarkable historic connections by organizing a full-day symposium titled The United Kingdom and Ireland in the White House: A Conversation on

Notable British Visitors

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How Many Times Has Queen Elizabeth Visited America?

Queen Elizabeth II  is a world traveler, as she's made thousands of appearances since taking the throne in 1952, according to Reuters. Because of her status, she cannot just hop in a car and drive to her destination — there are certain royal protocols in place.

The queen is reportedly a fan of taking the train, regularly boarding at King's Cross in London and disembarking at Norfolk's King's Lynn station to kick off her Christmas break every year, per Town & Country. Elizabeth also has two helicopters in operation in case she wants to avoid traffic. If the queen is traveling by car, however, she prefers her Bentley State Limousine.

When it comes to traveling, the queen takes a few items to make her journey more pleasant. Elizabeth reportedly never travels without barley sugar candies to combat jet lag, per The Independent . She packs a black outfit in case of tragedy, and even brings along her own toilet paper, according to The Telegraph . Outfit choices are also important, so the queen reportedly packs around 30 options. She has also used the same suitcases since 1947 and writes "The Queen" on her luggage tags, per The Express .

Although the queen scaled back her traveling schedule due to coronavirus restrictions, have you ever wondered how many times she visited America? Keep reading for more details.

Queen Elizabeth II visited the United States six times

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip made six visits total to the United States, according to The Newport Daily News . A notable visit included the Bicentennial Celebration in July 1976 where they met president Gerald Ford and his wife Betty in Newport, Rhode Island. During their seven-day tour, the queen and Philip also stopped in Philadelphia and Boston.

She made numerous other visits to America, per the White House archives. Her first visit was in 1951 with the late Duke of Edinburgh before she became queen. The White House was due for some upgrades at the time, so she stayed with President Harry Truman and his family. Her next visit came in 1957, "to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607." In true royal fashion, she traveled by motorcade as hundreds lined the streets in poor weather to catch a glimpse of the queen.

Elizabeth also visited America in 1983, this time at President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan's Rancho Del Cielo in Santa Barbara, California. The queen ditched her traditional tea for enchiladas and refried beans, and later enjoyed a state dinner in San Francisco. She crossed the pond yet again in 1991 and planted a tree on the South Lawn of the White House. In 2007, she returned for the 400th anniversary of the English settlement in Jamestown. She also visited the World War II Memorial with President Bush and his father George H.W. Bush. Perhaps she will hop the pond again when she can safely travel once more.

When Queen Elizabeth Visited Boston: Redcoats, the Royal Wave and American Cheering

British soldiers dressed in the red coats that were infamous during the time of the american revolution stood once again by massachusetts' old state house when the queen visited in 1976, by asher klein • published september 8, 2022 • updated on september 8, 2022 at 4:14 pm.

In her long time on the throne of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II visited Boston once, for an event marking a very crucial event in American history.

For her third visit to the United States, Elizabeth attended the Bicentennial ceremonies in 1976, and ended her trip where the country began: in Boston.

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Images from the time show her smiling as she walked through the streets with then-Mayor Kevin White. British soldiers dressed in the red coats that were infamous during the time of the American Revolution stood once again by Massachusetts' Old State House.

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Tens of thousands of people came out to see Elizabeth and Prince Philip, The Boston Globe reported at the time.

"Everytime the queen smiled or let free one of her white gloved hands, barely bending the wrist fluttering regal waves, people responded in turn with beaming smiles, prolonged applause and an occasional American, but very un-British cheer," Robert Rosenthal and Nick King wrote.

But there were protests as well. As British soldiers marched in review past City Hall, demonstrators held up signs. Some read, "England: Get out of Ireland NOW!" and "No surrender to British imperialism."

Elizabeth was being remembered Thursday around the U.S. and the globe after her death at the age of 96. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu shared an image of the monarch in City Hall, which was then just seven years old, and called her an inspiration for her "grace & steadfast leadership."

Boston mourns the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose grace & steadfast leadership have inspired generations around the world. Our hearts are with her family, loved ones & the people of the UK. pic.twitter.com/d8YG7sRYTN — Mayor Michelle Wu 吳弭 (@MayorWu) September 8, 2022

Elizabeth would make six trips to the United States in her 70-year reign. During the visit for the bicentennial, when she was 50 years old, she also stopped in Philadelphia, New York City, Charlottesville, Newport and Providence.

American's Bicentennial Celebration was a national party marking 200 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. At a state dinner at the White House, Elizabeth and President Gerald Ford shared a dance.

After Boston, the queen traveled to Canada, where she opened the Montreal Olympics.

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Photos of British Royal Family's Visits to the U.S. Over the Years

Princess Di and John Travolta's meeting at the White House was iconic.

The royal family has been visiting the United States for over 80 years now, touching lives in states across the nation along the way. While official tours—and even impromptu visits—come with a range of important duties, they typically also allow for public-facing moments of downtime and celebrity-studded fun. From King George VI and the future Queen Mother's very first hot dog to Prince Charles's date with Tricia Nixon, these photos show just how many memories have been made in the United States. With Prince William visiting in New York City this week for the Earthshot Prize Summit, there's no better time to look back at the best royal visits to the U.S. throughout history.

King George VI and the future Queen Mother were the very first British royals to travel to the U.S. in 1939. Here, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the royals zip down the streets of New York on the way to the Commander-in-Chief's Top Cottage retreat.

Here, King George VI and the future Queen Mother stand on the Capitol steps with senators from around the country.

Then-Princess Elizabeth made her first trip to the U.S. in 1951, where she met with President Harry Truman. “Whenever anyone becomes acquainted with you,” he told her at the time, “they immediately fall in love.”

Queen Elizabeth returned six years later for her first state visit as monarch. She appeared to enjoy her first and only college football game in Maryland, where she famously asked , "Where do you get all those enormous players?"

The Queen and Prince Philip tour one of the ships at Jamestown Festival Park's pier during a stop in Virginia.

On a state visit in 1959, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip ride an electric car through the International Chicago Trade Fair.

Princess Margaret and her husband Antony Armstrong-Jones ride one of San Francisco's famous cable cars on their trip to sunny California in November 1965.

Margaret takes in the view from atop the city's iconic Coit Tower.

During a stop in Hollywood, the royals visit Alfred Hitchcock on set of his film Torn Curtain .

Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon take riding lessons at the Arizona ranch of former U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, Lewis Douglas.

The pair stop in Washington, D.C. toward the end of their trip to take in sights like the Lincoln Memorial.

During his first visit to the States as Prince of Wales, Prince Charles gets cozy with President Richard Nixon's daughter, Tricia, at a baseball game. “That was quite amusing, I must say,” he later told CNN of the trip. “That was the time when they were trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon.”

Princess Anne joins her brother on the White House balcony, alongside President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon.

Queen Elizabeth dances with President Gerald Ford at a White House State Dinner during her 1976 East Coast visit.

Queen Elizabeth drops by Philadelphia’s famous Liberty Bell.

The monarch waves at onlookers as she passes the iconic Bloomingdale's flagship store in New York City.

Prince Charles returned to America in 1977, where he toured the McDonnell Douglas plant in St. Louis. Here, founder James S. McDonnell shows off a F-15 Eagle jet fighter.

The future king makes a stop in California, where he visits the set of M*A*S*H. The actors, including Alan Alda, share a laugh with the royal over an inflated surgical glove.

Prince Charles continues to mingle with Hollywood stars—like Farrah Fawcett and Lee Majors—at a banquet held in his honor at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1jdielu:before{margin:0.625rem 0.625rem 0;width:3.5rem;-webkit-filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);height:1.5rem;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-transform:scale(-1, 1);-moz-transform:scale(-1, 1);-ms-transform:scale(-1, 1);transform:scale(-1, 1);background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-1jdielu:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/townandcountrymag/static/images/diamond-header-design-element.80fb60e.svg);}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1jdielu:before{margin:0 0.625rem 0.25rem;}} Royal Family News @media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-128xfoy:before{margin:0.625rem 0.625rem 0;width:3.5rem;-webkit-filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);height:1.5rem;content:'';display:inline-block;background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-128xfoy:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/townandcountrymag/static/images/diamond-header-design-element.80fb60e.svg);}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-128xfoy:before{margin:0 0.625rem 0.25rem;}}

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Queen Elizabeth's U.S. Visits

Harold Evans witnesses Her Majesty’s trip to New York City today, the queen’s seventh visit to America during her six-decade reign. From White House state dinners to a tour of Yosemite, VIEW OUR GALLERY of her past jaunts across the pond.

Hank Walker / Time Life Pictures / Getty Images,Hank Walker.

The Inaugural Visit, 1957

Hank walker / time life pictures / getty images.

Her Majesty Takes Manhattan, 1957

Chicago Banquet, 1959

Edward kitch / ap photo.

St. Lawrence Seaway Opening, 1959

Express newspapers / getty images.

Gerald Ford Welcomes the Queen, 1976

White house / gerald r. ford library / ap photo.

Her Majesty Takes Manhattan, Part Deux, 1976

Ronald Reagan Toasts the Queen, 1983

Yosemite National Park, 1983

Walt zeboski / ap photo.

Speaking Before Congress, 1991

Doug mills / ap photo.

The Queen and Bush, 1991

Dennis cook / ap photo.

Her Majesty's Most Recent Visit, 2007

Pa photos / landov.

Meet Virginia, 2007

Eva russo / ap photo, read this list.

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Ten Times the British Royals Visited the U.S. in Style

Since King George VI became the first ruling British monarch to visit the United States in 1939, the Windsors have been exporting their own brand of royal glamour stateside from California to New York and countless states in between.

Queen Elizabeth II visited the U.S. seven times; five of these included state dinners at the White House and two were classed as "private" trips.

As well as the queen, her sister Princess Margaret visited the country on a number of occasions, followed by another glamorous royal, Princess Diana.

The princess was spending increasing amounts of time in the U.S. (in particular New York) at the time of her tragic death aged just 36 in 1997 when her car crashed in a Paris tunnel.

Diana's two sons, Princes William and Harry, have also spent time in the States, William alongside his wife Kate Middleton (now the Prince and Princess of Wales ) and Harry with Meghan Markle , who now reside in California with their two children.

Here, Newsweek looks at 10 times the British royals visited the U.S. in style over nine decades and two reigns.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Washington, July 1939

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later The Queen Mother ) became the first ruling British sovereigns to visit the U.S. in 1939 before the outbreak of World War II.

The royal couple combined their U.S. trip with a tour of Canada and became friends with President and Mrs. Roosevelt.

Princess Margaret, Washington, November 1965

Princess Margaret , Queen Elizabeth II 's younger sister, visited the U.S. on a number of occasions. Her most notable visit came in 1965 where she attended a formal dinner at the White House with President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Duke and Duchess of Windsor, New York, May 1967

After abdicating the throne to marry the twice-divorced, Pennsylvania-born Wallis Simpson , the Duke of Windsor and his new duchess visited the U.S. regularly, traveling by ship and staying in New York hotels.

The duke and duchess were regular features on the New York social scene at balls and parties when they were not otherwise occupied at their home in Paris.

Queen Elizabeth II, Washington, July 1976

Queen Elizabeth II paid a state visit to the U.S. in 1976 to celebrate the country's bicentennial.

During her visit, which included a trip to Boston, which Prince William and Kate Middleton are visiting in December, the queen was hosted at a state banquet by President Gerald Ford at the White House.

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Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Washington, November 1985

Princess Diana's first official visit to the U.S. as a member of the royal family was made four years into her turbulent marriage to Prince Charles (now King Charles III ).

The princess won great favor in the States, with the highlight of the visit being her star performance dancing with John Travolta in a glamorous black evening gown at a dinner reception hosted at the White House by President Ronald Reagan.

Princess Diana, New York, December 1996

As Princess Diana's marriage to Prince Charles came to its end, the royal spent increasing time in the U.S. on private visits to see friends or attend charity events.

In December 1996, the princess attended a number of events in New York City, including a United Cerebral Palsy charity humanitarian of the year awards dinner and the famed Met Gala.

Princess Diana, Washington, June 1997

Princess Diana's last visit to the U.S. was made just weeks before her death at the age of 36 in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997.

During her visit to Washington the princess visited First Lady Hillary Clinton at the White House and attended events connected with her campaign to end the use of landmines.

Queen Elizabeth II, Washington 2007

Queen Elizabeth II's last official visit to the U.S. came in 2007 where she was hosted by President George W. Bush .

The visit was organized to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the Jamestown settlement in Virginia and the monarch also attended a state dinner at the White House.

Prince William and Kate Middleton, California, July 2011

Prince William and Kate Middleton, now the Prince and Princess of Wales, have visited the U.S. twice before on official engagements.

The first visit took place months after their April 2011 wedding where they attended a number of events in California following a tour of Canada. During their visit William took part in a charity polo match as well as attending a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) event in Hollywood.

Meghan Markle, New York, February 2019

Meghan Markle is the first American-born senior member of the British royal family, not including the Duchess of Windsor who did not play any official royal role.

Before she moved back to the U.S. with Prince Harry in 2020 following a strained period in Britain, Meghan visited New York City in February 2019 to attend a private baby shower and to watch friend Serena Williams participate in a U.S. Open tennis match.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you.

About the writer

James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family and royal fashion. He has covered contemporary and historic issues facing King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, the late Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. James joined Newsweek in 2022 having previously contributed to titles such as The Lady, Majesty Magazine and Drapers. He also spent a number of years working with the curatorial department at Historic Royal Palaces, based at Kensington Palace, and contributed to the exhibitions Fashion Rules: Restyled (2016) and Diana: Her Fashion Story (2017). He also undertook private research projects with the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection. He is a graduate of University College London and Central Saint Martins, where he studied fashion history. Languages: English.

You can get in touch with James by emailing [email protected].

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The Visit of Queen Elizabeth II

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Etiquette Advice Abounds Amid Queen's Visit

May 7, 2007 • Queen Elizabeth II's six-day visit to the U.S., her first official trip to the country since 1991, has spawned a cottage industry of royal etiquette advice.

Beleaguered Bush Hosts Queen, Wins French Ally

May 7, 2007 • President Bush's popularity is flagging, but he is playing host to the very popular Queen Elizabeth II, and has a new ally in France. Here's a look at what might be in store for President Bush.

Queen, Street Sense Thrill Derby Spectators

May 6, 2007 • On the latest stop of her six-day state visit, England's Queen Elizabeth II attended the annual running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. She witnessed one of the more exciting Derby's of recent years, with horse Street Sense moving from 19th position to the front to win the race.

Will the Queen Make a Derby Fashion Statement?

May 5, 2007 • Queen Elizabeth II is recognized for her collection of hats. And her appearance at the Kentucky Derby will once again put her choice of headgear on public display.

Queen Elizabeth II Makes Derby Pilgrimage

May 5, 2007 • Typically the talk at the Kentucky Derby is about what horse will win, and whether the winning horse can take the Triple Crown. But this year the biggest gossip is all about Britian's Queen Elizabeth II. An avid horsewoman, she was at Churchill Downs for the race.

Reporter's Notebook

The queen's visit to virginia.

May 5, 2007 • Britain's Queen Elizabeth II visits the United States for the celebration in Virginia of the 400th anniversary of the 1607 founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World. She also paid tribute to the Virginia Tech shooting victims.

Queen Elizabeth Tours Virginia

May 4, 2007 • In her first visit to the U.S. in more than a decade, England's Queen Elizabeth II is expected to tour Jamestown and Williamsburg, Va., Friday. She last visited America in 1991.

Queen Elizabeth's Trip Includes Visit to Tech Victims

May 3, 2007 • Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is in the United States for a weeklong state visit to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the first permanent British colony in America. In Richmond, Va., the queen spoke this afternoon at the state capitol about the long friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

Queen Seeks to Fly 'Green' on U.S. Visit

May 3, 2007 • As Queen Elizabeth II begins her state visit to the United States, she will pay $20,000 for a "carbon offset." That's a fee paid to compensate for the carbon that her flights across the Atlantic and around America will spew into the air. The money will go towards a project to reduce greenhouse gases.

Jamestown's Early Days Were Brutish and Short

May 3, 2007 • This month marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Va., the first permanent English settlement in North America. Many historians see Jamestown as the birthplace of modern America. Was the original colony really a success?

Queen Elizabeth Prepares for Her American Visit

May 2, 2007 • Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will arrive in the United States on Thursday for a state visit that centers on the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Va. — the first permanent English settlement on American soil. The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, will attend the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

The Queen of travel

Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022

Queen Elizabeth II leaves Fiji during a royal tour in February 1977. Serge Lemoine/Getty Images

The Queen of travel Journeys of a lifetime

By Francesca Street and Mark Oliver, CNN September 13, 2022

S he was traveling the moment she ascended to the throne, and for much of the next seven decades, Queen Elizabeth II criss-crossed the world. Newly married and still just a princess, Britain’s future monarch was in Kenya with husband Prince Philip in February 1952 when she learned of her father’s death and her new regal status.

During her reign she would visit more than 120 countries, witnessing first-hand the revolutions in global travel that shrank the world as her own influence over it diminished.

The Queen lived through the advent of the Jet Age, flew supersonic on the Concorde, saw regimes change, countries form and dissolve, the end of the British Empire and the rise of globalization.

Here are some of the most memorable travel moments from her 70 years as monarch.

November 24-25, 1953

Less than six months after she was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, Queen Elizabeth set off on her travels again. Her debut official state trip was an epic six-month tour of the Commonwealth -- the alliance of nations which were once British colonies. Traveling by air, sea and land she visited several countries, accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. First stop was the North Atlantic island of Bermuda, a British territory she would visit a further four times during her reign. The trip would go on to include stops in Jamaica, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Cocos Islands, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Aden (now part of Yemen), Uganda, Malta and Gibraltar.

December 19-20, 1953

At Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in June 1953, Queen Salote Tupou III of the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga won over the British public when she sat, rain-soaked, in her open carriage. They also took an interest when Elizabeth returned the visit later in the year. The two queens enjoyed an open-air feast, watched Tongan dancers and admired a tortoise that legend said was presented by explorer Captain James Cook to the King of Tonga in 1777.

December 23, 1953 – January 30, 1954

New zealand.

The Queen voyaged to New Zealand during the Antipodean summer of 1953-4. Over the course of the trip, it’s estimated that three out of every four New Zealanders got a glimpse of her. In preparation for the Queen’s visit, some New Zealand sheep were dyed in the UK flag colors of red, white and blue. The Queen returned to the country nine times over the years, including in 2002 as she marked half a century on the throne.

April 10-21, 1954

Ceylon (now sri lanka).

A visit to Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, coincided with the Queen’s 28th birthday. She visited the city of Colombo where crowds joined together to sing her “Happy Birthday.” She also visited the central city of Kandy, where she watched a procession featuring a reported 140 elephants and met local chiefs.

April 8-11, 1957

The Queen had visited France as a young princess, but her first state visit as monarch was a glamorous affair. She attended the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, visited the Palace of Versailles, and dined at the Louvre with then-President Rene Coty. The Queen also laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe and visited the Scottish Church of Paris.

October 17-20, 1957

United states.

Having met President Harry S. Truman in Washington in 1951 during a visit before ascending to the throne, Elizabeth was no stranger to America when she arrived on her first trip as Queen. Her 1957 visit marked the 350th anniversary of the first permanent British settlement on the continent, in Jamestown. The monarch attended a college football game at the former Byrd Stadium in Maryland where she watched the home team lose to North Carolina. She met with President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the White House and later traveled to New York, where she and Prince Philip drove through the streets and admired panoramic views of the city from the Empire State Building.

February 1-16, 1961

The Queen and Prince Philip visited Pakistan in 1961, arriving in the port city of Karachi after completing a visit to India as part of a wider tour of South Asia. She drove through the streets of Karachi in an open-top car, before going on to visit Lahore, where a torchlight military tattoo took place in her honor and Prince Philip played in a game of polo.

February 26 to March 1, 1961

In Nepal, the Queen inspected troops in Kathmandu and met Gurkha ex-servicemen in Pokhara. The monarch rode on an elephant and visited the Hanuman Dhoka Palace complex in Kathmandu. She took part in the rather grim spectacle of a tiger hunt although didn’t shoot any animals herself. She instead recorded the experience on cine camera – a recording device that she often carried with her on her earlier foreign trips.

March 2-6, 1961

The Queen visited pre-revolution Iran at the end of her 1961 South Asian tour. Hosted by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, she toured ancient monuments including the ruins of Persepolis, once a capital of the Achaemenid Empire, later declared a World Heritage Site. She also saw Sheikh Lotfollah mosque in Esfahan and admired collections of the Archaeological Museum of Iran.

May 5, 1961

Vatican city.

In 1961, Elizabeth became the first British monarch to visit the Vatican. Dressed all in black, the Queen had an audience with Pope John XXIII, also attended by Prince Philip. She returned to the Vatican three more times during her reign, meeting Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis.

November 9-20, 1961

Bombing incidents in the capital Accra left officials worried about the safety of the Queen’s visit to Ghana but, after deliberation, UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan confirmed it would go ahead. During the trip, the Queen famously shared a dance with Ghana’s then-president, Kwame Nkrumah. At the height of Cold War uncertainty, this seemingly innocuous moment was seen as significant in ensuring Ghana remained affiliated to Britain and not the USSR.

May 18-28, 1965

West germany (now germany).

The Queen’s visit to West Germany and West Berlin was viewed as a symbolic gesture of goodwill in the post-World War II landscape. It was the first royal trip to German territory for more than 50 years and photographs such as one of the Queen and Prince Philip in a car driving past the Brandenburg Gate had symbolic resonance.

November 5-11, 1968

Queen Elizabeth became the first reigning British monarch to visit South America when she landed in Brazil in late 1968. During the trip, the Queen wore a striking jewelry set made of Brazilian aquamarine, gifted to her in 1953 by the Brazilian president and added to over time. The monarch also attended a football match between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and presented the winner’s trophy to Brazilian footballer Pele.

October 18-25, 1971

On the first of two trips to Turkey -- the second took place in 2008 -- the Queen visited the Gallipoli peninsula to remember the Allied soldiers who died there during World War I. The monarch also explored the ruins of the ancient Greek empire city of Ephesus. A media highlight of the visit came when she was photographed leaping ashore from a barge, after disembarking from her ship, the Royal Yacht Britannia.

February 10-15, 1972

Accompanied by Prince Philip and daughter Princess Anne, the Queen was greeted on arrival in Bangkok by a carpet of flower petals. The monarch was given a golden key to the city of Bangkok, attended a state banquet and visited Bang Pa-In Palace, the Thai royal family’s summer residence, north of the capital.

October 17-21, 1972

The Queen’s visit to Yugoslavia was her first trip to a communist country. The Central European country no longer exists -- the areas that the Queen visited are now part of Croatia. During her trip, she met Yugoslav political leader Josip Broz Tito and traveled on his famous Blue Train.

February 15-16, 1974

New hebrides (now vanuatu).

The Queen and Prince Philip visited the Pacific island archipelago of Vanuatu, then known as the New Hebrides, in 1974. It’s said the royal couple’s visit to Vanuatu may have strengthened the belief among some locals on Tanna island that the Duke of Edinburgh was a divine being.

February 24-March 1, 1975

On her first of two visits to Mexico, the Queen toured ancient sites -- including the pyramids of Uxmal, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monarch also received local crafts, met school children and attended a banquet. While she was driven through Mexico City, the Queen was showered in confetti.

February 17-20, 1979

Saudi arabia.

In 1979, the Queen became the first female head of state to visit Saudi Arabia, on a tour of Gulf States. At Riyadh Airport, she was met by King Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, pictured. The outfits she wore on the trip were carefully designed in accordance with Saudi Arabia’s conservative dress code for women. The Queen arrived on a British Airways supersonic Concorde aircraft and during the visit attended camel races and toured the National Museum.

October 26-27, 1982

The Queen visited Tuvalu, a group of nine islands in the South Pacific, in 1982. Upon arrival, the Queen and Prince Philip were carried in a flower-filled canoe from sea to shore. Thirty years later, in 2012, Prince William visited Tuvalu with his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, who drank a coconut from a tree planted by Queen Elizabeth on this 1982 visit.

February 26 – March 6, 1983

On a star-studded trip to the United States, the Queen toured the 20th Century-Fox studios in Hollywood with then-First Lady Nancy Reagan and met Frank Sinatra, who she’d previously met in the 1950s, at a party given in her honor. The Queen and Prince Philip also visited Yosemite National Park in California, pictured.

November 10-14, 1983

The Queen returned to Kenya in 1983 for a state visit. When she was there 31 years previously, she'd learned that her father had passed away and she had become Britain’s reigning monarch. In 1983, the Queen and Prince Philip revisited the Treetops hotel, pictured, where they were staying at the time she was told the news.

October 12-18, 1986

The Queen’s trip to China was the first -- and, so far, only -- state visit by a British monarch to China. With Prince Philip by her side, the Queen visited the Great Wall of China, pictured, as well as the Forbidden City in Beijing.

October 17-20, 1994

In 1994, in another royal first, the Queen visited Russia. Over the three-day trip, the Queen met Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, pictured here with the monarch outside St Basil’s Cathedral, as well as Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The Queen also attended the Bolshoi Ballet. In her traditional Christmas Day speech broadcast later that year, the Queen reflected on how times had changed, noting she “never thought it would be possible in [her] lifetime” to attend a service in Moscow’s famous cathedral.

March 19-25, 1995

South africa.

In 1994, after apartheid ended, South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth as a republic. The following year, the Queen traveled there, in a visit designed to renew ties between the two countries. The Queen met with President Nelson Mandela, pictured, and presented him with the Order of Merit.

October 12-18, 1997

The Queen visited India for the third time in 1997, her first public engagement since Princess Diana’s funeral just weeks before. The trip marked 50 years since India’s independence from Britain. Most memorably, the monarch visited the site of the Amritsar massacre, also known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, of April 13, 1919. She also expressed regret at a state banquet in New Delhi for the “distressing” episode in which British soldiers gunned down hundreds of unarmed civilians. The gesture was seen by some as inadequate. “The Queen is doing everything she can to make India like her. But so far it does not seem to be working,” wrote the UK’s Independent newspaper at the time.

October 4-15, 2002

The Queen visited Canada many times. In 2002, her trip to the North American country coincided with her Golden Jubilee festivities, celebrating 50 years of her reign. During the trip, the Queen attended an ice hockey game between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks, and dropped the ceremonial puck.

March 11-16, 2006

The Queen visited Australia 16 times as Head of State. In 2006, she traveled to Melbourne to open the Commonwealth Games. She was greeted by a welcoming party in Canberra, visited the Sydney Opera House, attended a Commonwealth Day service in St. Andrew’s Cathedral and toured Admiralty House, the Sydney residence of the Governor-General of Australia.

May 17-20, 2011

The Queen’s trip to Dublin was the first time a British monarch had set foot in the Irish Republic since its 1922 independence. At Dublin Castle the Queen delivered a well-received speech on the history of Anglo-Irish relations. In County Tipperary, she also toured the medieval Rock of Cashel, pictured, once a seat of power for Ireland’s ancient kings.

November 26-28, 2015

From 1949 to 1951, before she was Queen, Elizabeth and Prince Philip lived in Malta. In 2015, the monarch paid her last visit to the island, touring the Grand Harbour in a Maltese fishing boat and waving to members of the British Royal Navy.

United Kingdom

In the later years of her reign, the Queen cut back on foreign travel, passing on the mantle to the younger royals. In more recent years, royal tours have also been looked at with more skeptical eyes, as Britain reckons with its colonial past.

While she didn't travel abroad in the later years of her reign, the Queen continued to vacation in the UK. Most notably, the Queen’s ties with Scotland remained strong throughout her reign and her residence there, Balmoral Castle, was a favorite refuge. It was at Balmoral that the Queen died on September 8, 2022.

Washington to Yosemite: the Queen’s visits to the US over the years – in pictures

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Over the past 71 years, the Queen visited America as both a princess and queen, and met more US presidents than any other head of state, according to the White House

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New Times, New Thinking.

The Queen’s greatest act

Craig Brown’s A Voyage Around the Queen shows how Elizabeth II reflected her subjects back at themselves.

By Margaret MacMillan

Years ago, in Kathmandu, I saw a living goddess. Still a child, she sat in a window while crowds gawked at her. Who knew what she was thinking or whether she liked or detested the role that she had been assigned? Queen Elizabeth II was a great distance away not just geographically but also in circumstances – but she presents the same puzzle. True, the living goddess spent her days in a small wooden house on a noisy, dusty street; the Queen in a series of palaces and castles surrounded by great gardens and parklands, with one of the greatest art collections in the world and piles of precious jewels to rival Aladdin’s cave.

Yet both women trod paths that had been chosen for them by fate, whether through karma or descent. Both were the objects of adulation, sometimes hostility, as their observers projected on to them their own biases. Goddess and queen, what were they really like? With the Queen, at least, there were the occasional remarks, a laugh here or a frown there, which give brief hints of a private life away from the unrelenting gaze of the public.

Craig Brown’s wonderfully readable new book is, as the title says, a voyage around the phenomenon of the Queen, rather than a biography. He has done his homework, dutifully reading even the most fawning accounts – an experience like eating candyfloss, he says: “You emerge pink and queasy, but also undernourished.” In fact, he has retrieved a wealth of marvellous details, on the royal corgis, for example, whom he compares to the Corleone clan, in their viciousness and unpredictability.

His more serious object, which he achieves triumphantly, is to explore the impact of the Queen on so many millions of people. And not just in their waking moments but their subconscious too. “Queen of the British psyche,” was Brian Masters’ term. One estimate from the Seventies is that a third of the British dream about the royal family. Her sister, Princess Margaret (the subject of Brown’s 2017 book Ma’am Darling ), dreamed frequently that she had made the Queen very angry. A housewife in Leeds dreams of meeting the Queen on a bus and taking her home for a cup of tea. A famous writer, who chooses to remain anonymous, confesses that he sees the Queen in his dreams as the God from whom no secrets are hidden.

For more than 70 years she did her duty, opening parliaments, holding receptions, receiving dignitaries or launching ships. She visited 117 different countries. She gave out over 400,000 honours and sent 45,000 Christmas cards. Scores of dictators and democratic leaders came and went while she was on the throne. She knew 14 American presidents and 15 British prime ministers. Stalin died in 1953, the year she was coronated, and she lived through the collapse of his Soviet Union in 1991. Her coronation was the first to be televised; millions of people bought tiny black and white televisions for the occasion. Her funeral, watched by half the world’s population according to one estimate, was in colour while drones flew over London to get footage of the gigantic crowds.

The Saturday Read

Morning call.

Those moments, as well as her wedding and her four jubilees, were markers of the passage of time but also the occasion for national reflection. (They were also opportunities for crass commercialism. At her Silver Jubilee some 30,000 separate items were put up for sale and after her death in 2022 a tea bag she had once used sold for $12,000 on eBay.) When the Queen died it was as though a stable and valued monument, like the tree in the Sycamore Gap or Stonehenge, had fallen. She was, said JK Rowling, “a thread winding through all our lives”. A five-mile-long queue stretched through London as people waited patiently to visit her coffin as it lay in state. Scores of sporting events were cancelled and at one primary school Guinea Pig Awareness Week was postponed.

In her lifetime she was not above criticism. The initial reserved reaction of the royal family to the death of Princess Diana was widely attacked in the press and among the public. The then prime minister Tony Blair described the public mood as “menacing”. Throughout her life the Queen was frequently mocked for her conversational gambits – “Have you come far?” – and for so often murmuring “how interesting”. “Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl,” sang the Beatles when they were young and cheeky, “but she doesn’t have a lot to say.” She had learned early on that simple questions and commonplaces were safest. In longer conversations, as the emperor of Japan once complained, she often talked about dogs and horses. (She found that he talked mainly about his tropical fish.) She was always being watched, often accused of being bored or grumpy. “I’ve the kind of face that if I’m not smiling, I look cross,” she once said.

Wherever she went she walked on new carpets, smelled fresh paint or saw newly planted flower beds. Once in Totnes, guests were advised to stand in a semi-circle to hide the entrance to the men’s lavatory from the royal gaze. At her coronation the pre-eminent royal commentator, Richard Dimbleby, “the Gold Microphone-in-Waiting”, pioneered a special back-to-front sentence for describing her. “The moment of the Queen’s crowning is come,” he intoned from his box behind the high altar in Westminster Abbey.

One of the many delights of Brown’s book is his exploration of the extraordinary effect her mere presence had on people: she was, as he puts it, like a mirror reflecting her observers back on themselves. “To watch a line of some of the most powerful people in the world waiting to be introduced to the Queen,” said the poet Ben Okri, “was to watch something unreal, the visible form of the magnetic power of the moon on the tides.” (When the prominent left-wing playwrights John Osborne, Harold Pinter and David Hare met at a Buckingham Palace reception all said they were there because of their wives.) As they first saw the Queen people often felt slightly woozy, as if a well-known portrait had come alive. Kingsley Amis was so afraid of farting – or worse – in the royal presence that he gave up eating beans for weeks and gobbled down anti-diarrhoea tablets. People found themselves behaving strangely, roaring with fake laughter, their gestures too broad.

If the Queen asked them a question, even the most self-confident found themselves babbling inanely or, for some reason, telling lies. When a young Brown met her he found himself giving her an extensive lecture on English humour. Phil Collins, the rock star, found himself whistling a tune but when the Queen asked him what it was he couldn’t answer. “What came over me?” he asked the radio presenter Terry Wogan. It was, replied Wogan, the “Royal Effect” where “you say the first thing that comes into your head, and you carry the memory of your foolishness with you to the grave”.

In her own fashion the Queen played a role as successful monarchs have done through the ages. She too was surrounded by mystery and rituals, even recently invented ones such as parts of the coronation ceremony. For most of her reign the Queen was supported, with the occasional firework, by Prince Philip, who had created his own public persona as a bluff English naval officer, although his complicated family background and his intellectual curiosity were rather different. She had imagined being an actress once, she said to the then French president François Hollande. Perhaps, replied Hollande, she had become one. Yes, she admitted, “but always the same role.”

Yet when there was talk at the start of the new century of the Queen stepping aside in favour of Prince Charles, a courtier told Max Hastings that he and his fellow journalists just didn’t get it. “She likes being Queen.” Mostly. Perceptively, Brown wonders if part of her love for her corgis was that they did exactly what they wanted. Her passion for horse-racing may have been because it too was unpredictable. For someone who was always expected to be so cautious it meant, he says, “she could be spontaneous, excitable and competitive”. And competitive she was, ruthlessly discarding horses and trainers if they weren’t winning.

Occasionally the woman behind the role peeps out. In the Christmas speech of 1992, the year Princess Anne got divorced, Charles and Diana separated and much of Windsor Castle burned, the Queen talked about how, like other families, hers has had some difficulties. More recently, when the Sussexes lobbed accusations of royal racism from California, the phrase “recollections may vary” was apparently the Queen’s own. She was obliged to entertain some appalling people, from Idi Amin to the Ceaușescus but made it clear she did not like them. President Donald Trump she found “very rude” and wondered why on Earth his wife stayed married to him. (Trump, inevitably, thought he had been a great success.) There is no danger here of candyfloss overload.

At once sympathetic but clear-eyed, kind but sharp, Brown has given us a serious reflection on the nature of power and why institutions such as the monarchy, in the right hands, can provide a society with stability and a sense of continuity, especially in turbulent times. When faced with the alternatives on offer at the moment, even committed republicans may find themselves reconsidering their position.

Margaret MacMillan is emeritus professor of international history at Oxford University

A Voyage Around the Queen Craig Brown 4th Estate, 672pp, £25

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