12 candid photos of royals with US presidents that show amusing, unplanned moments between the world leaders
Talia Lakritz
- Candid photos capture the relationships between US presidents and royal family members.
- Queen Elizabeth was photographed dancing with Gerald Ford and riding horses with Ronald Reagan.
President Dwight Eisenhower joined Queen Elizabeth for a relaxed visit at Balmoral Castle in Scotland in 1959.
Eisenhower brought his son, Major John Eisenhower. As children, King Charles and Princess Anne wore traditional Scottish outfits. The New York Times described the visit as "marked by informality," with the group holding a picnic on the lake.
King Charles (then Prince of Wales) and Princess Anne visited the White House for the first time in 1970, where they were hosted by the Nixons.
President Richard Nixon and first lady Pat Nixon showed Charles and Anne around the balcony on the South Portico of the White House.
President Gerald Ford danced with Queen Elizabeth during her state visit to the US in 1976.
Due to unfortunate timing, the Queen and the president ended up dancing to the Marine Band's rendition of "The Lady is a Tramp."
President Jimmy Carter chatted with the Queen and Prince Phillip in the Blue Room of Buckingham Palace in 1977.
Carter reportedly broke royal protocol by kissing the Queen Mother on the lips.
"I took a sharp step backwards – not quite far enough," the Queen Mother is said to have remarked after the encounter, according to BBC.
The Queen and President Ronald Reagan rode horses together in 1982.
The two world leaders rode around the grounds of Windsor Castle.
In 1985, Princess Diana danced with John Travolta as the Reagans looked on at a White House dinner.
In the PBS special "In Their Own Words: Diana, Princess of Wales," Travolta said that Nancy Reagan told him that Diana wanted to dance with him, so he asked her to join him on the dance floor in the Cross Hall of the White House.
"The whole room cleared," Travolta said. "We danced for what felt like 15 minutes ... It was a storybook moment. We bowed when it was over, and, you know, she was off, and I was off, and my carriage turned into a pumpkin."
President Bill Clinton coordinated with the Queen in a red tie during his visit to the UK in 2000.
Anita McBride, first lady Laura Bush's former chief of staff, previously told Insider that the Queen's dressmaker coordinated with first ladies' staff to make sure their outfits wouldn't clash during visits.
In 2007, the Queen poked fun at President George W. Bush when he accidentally said she had celebrated the US bicentennial in 1776 instead of 1976.
After Bush misspoke, adding 200 years to Queen Elizabeth's age at a welcome ceremony at the White House, he winked and said, "She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child."
At a dinner hosted by the British ambassador's residence two days later, the Queen joked, "I wondered whether I should start this toast by saying, 'When I was here in 1776 ...'"
Photographer Fiona Hanson captured Bush's amused reaction to the Queen's quip.
"Your Majesty, I can't top that one," Bush responded in his toast.
White House photographer Pete Souza snapped a photo of Prince George in his pajamas saying good night to President Barack Obama in 2016.
"Originally it was unclear whether I would be permitted to photograph the president meeting Prince George," Souza wrote of the photo. "But the night before, our advance team called and said they had gotten word from Kensington Palace that they would allow me access to make candid photographs during their visit. Afterwards, this photograph garnered the most attention but at the time all I could think was how the table at right was hindering my ability to be at the optimum angle for this moment."
Obama remained close with Prince Harry even after his presidency ended, attending the Invictus Games in 2017.
Obama and Harry laughed together as they watched a game of wheelchair basketball at the 2017 Invictus Games for wounded veterans in Toronto, Canada.
When a photographer's flash diffuser fell off during President Donald Trump's visit to Clarence House in 2019, it resulted in a candid moment.
The Trumps had tea with Charles and Camilla at Clarence House during their state visit to the UK.
President Joe Biden eschewed traditional royal greetings and put a hand on William's shoulder at a reception for the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in 2021.
The reception was held at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland.
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