In lavish style, President Obama and Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday confirmed a bond between the United States and the United Kingdom that has strengthened through the forfeit of war and a history of common values. As the queen put it, the relationship is "tried, tested and, yes, special."
For his part, the president, dressed in white-tie tuxedo for a showy dinner at Buckingham Palace, said in a toast that the relationship "never rests."
"We can have confidence in the partnership that our two countries share, based on the rock-solid foundation built during Queen Elizabeth's lifetime of strange service to the nation and to the world," the president said at a dinner in which White House staffers mixed with U.S. movie stars and British royalty.
Obama engrossed himself in grandeur Tuesday as the queen welcomed him to Buckingham Palace for the first day of a state visit that kept the president mainly out of sight for most of the British public. The Obama’s will spend the night in Buckingham Palace, in the same suite where newlyweds Prince William and Kate Middleton spent their wedding night just last month. The Obama’s missed the royal wedding, but met the young couple briefly Tuesday.
There was an intricate arrival ceremony on the steps of the palace's West Terrace, complete with a 41-gun salute; a tour of the Queen's private gallery, where the monarch highlighted objects she thought would hold personal significance to the president.
Obama lingered over a personal diary kept by King George III before and after the U.S. Revolution.
As the latest alluring addition to The Firm, Prince William’s new bride wowed President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle as she welcomed them to Buckingham Palace.
Wills and Kate were making their official debut after their wedding. And they were given centre stage for the arrival of the Obama’s. Keen to show Kate, 29, and William, 28, as the young future of the Royal Family, Palace aides made sure the meeting was one of the high points of the landmark state visit.
And even in the company of Obama, it was Kate who was the real star. The new Duchess of Cambridge looked astonishing in a flesh-colored bandeau dress and an unusual shell necklace, thought to be a memento of her 10-day honeymoon in the Seychelles.
For his part, the president, dressed in white-tie tuxedo for a showy dinner at Buckingham Palace, said in a toast that the relationship "never rests."
"We can have confidence in the partnership that our two countries share, based on the rock-solid foundation built during Queen Elizabeth's lifetime of strange service to the nation and to the world," the president said at a dinner in which White House staffers mixed with U.S. movie stars and British royalty.
Obama engrossed himself in grandeur Tuesday as the queen welcomed him to Buckingham Palace for the first day of a state visit that kept the president mainly out of sight for most of the British public. The Obama’s will spend the night in Buckingham Palace, in the same suite where newlyweds Prince William and Kate Middleton spent their wedding night just last month. The Obama’s missed the royal wedding, but met the young couple briefly Tuesday.
There was an intricate arrival ceremony on the steps of the palace's West Terrace, complete with a 41-gun salute; a tour of the Queen's private gallery, where the monarch highlighted objects she thought would hold personal significance to the president.
Obama lingered over a personal diary kept by King George III before and after the U.S. Revolution.
As the latest alluring addition to The Firm, Prince William’s new bride wowed President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle as she welcomed them to Buckingham Palace.
Wills and Kate were making their official debut after their wedding. And they were given centre stage for the arrival of the Obama’s. Keen to show Kate, 29, and William, 28, as the young future of the Royal Family, Palace aides made sure the meeting was one of the high points of the landmark state visit.
And even in the company of Obama, it was Kate who was the real star. The new Duchess of Cambridge looked astonishing in a flesh-colored bandeau dress and an unusual shell necklace, thought to be a memento of her 10-day honeymoon in the Seychelles.
