‘Used beans’ and ‘The Talking Hat’: Queen Elizabeth’s visits with presidents didn’t always go as planned
- Queen Elizabeth II met with more U.S. presidents than any other head of state.
- Those meetings often got the most attention for their unscripted moments.
- The queen’s sense of humor enabled her to dispense with protocol and overlook presidential faux pas.
WASHINGTON – At the start of her reign, Britain’s 25-year-old Queen Elizabeth II got some crucial advice from Winston Churchill: Stay close to the Americans.
“And that’s exactly what she did,” said Anita McBride, a board member of the White House Historical Association and former chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush.