King Charles faces a major diplomatic test
King Charles’ first visit to the United States as a monarch comes amid tensions over NATO and Iran. USA TODAY’s Susan Page explains what’s at stake.
What could go wrong?
When King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive in the United States on April 27, nearly every move of their four-day visit will be planned and every word scrutinized. But past royal visits to Washington have been hit or miss, from lecherous muskrats to talking hats.
Roll the tape on six past gaffes.
who is your dad?
In 1951, Prince Charles’ mother and heir to the throne first set foot in the former British colony as a princess who visited and charmed President Harry Truman.
After landing at National Airport, Truman accompanied Princess Elizabeth in the back seat of the open presidential limousine to Blair House, the elegant government residence where the presidential family resided while the White House was being renovated.
He took her and Prince Philip up to the fifth floor to meet his mother-in-law. Madge Gates Wallace was 98 years old, nearly deaf, and notoriously difficult.
“Mom, I brought Princess Elizabeth to see you!” Truman said in a voice that almost screamed. She had been briefed on the British election the week before, which saw Winston Churchill return as prime minister.
That inspired her to bless Elizabeth.
“I’m so happy your dad got re-elected,” she said.
Liz! smile! Look here!
During their visit, Elizabeth and Philip attended a reception in the grand ballroom of the Statler Hotel for around 900 journalists, including press photographers who did not treat her with the customary respect of their London cousins.
“Liz!” they shouted, trying to turn her around. They urged her to pose with the bandleader and ordered her to smile.
She accepted it honestly. But days later, during a short vacation near Quebec, she was seen reenacting the scene, pointing the home movie camera at her husband and issuing orders in her version of an American accent.
“Hey, you there!” she cried. It was a rare glimpse into her sense of humor and talent for impersonation. “Hey, Dooku! Look at me! That’s right! Thank you!”
Muskrat in love
The entertainment in the East Room after the 1976 White Tie State Dinner surprised some people. The soft rock duo Captain & Tennille appeared on stage, performing their hit song “Muskrat Love.”
The lyrics told the story of a romantic encounter between two rodents named Susie and Sam. Or, as the British ambassador later described it in a telegram to London, it was “a vivid electronic tone poem about the courtship of muskrats.”
A dance then took place between the Queen and President Ford.
As they stepped onto the State Dining Room dance floor, the Marine Band began the next song on the playlist.
That happened to be “The Lady is a Trump.”
talking hat
George H.W. Bush was 6’2. ” Queen Elizabeth was 5’4 tall. ”
This is important because when President Bush finished greeting her on the South Lawn in 1991, he neglected to pull out a small step stool for her to stand under the presidential podium.
When she spoke, her face was blocked by a microphone. All reporters could see was a wide-brimmed striped hat that swayed as she spoke.
“She’s gone!” NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski yelled. “All I got was a talking hat!”
The president was horrified. The Queen was amused.
The next day, in a speech to a joint session of Congress, she opened with a joke. “I hope you can see where I am now,” she said dryly, eliciting laughter.
bear hug
A White House advance guard had warned Alice Frazier of the rules of royal protocol when the Queen visited her three-bedroom apartment in a new public housing project in Baltimore in 1991. Rule number one: Don’t touch Her Majesty.
But when the official entourage arrived, the 67-year-old great-grandmother immediately wrapped the Queen in a bear hug.
Her Majesty did not push her away, but she did not return the gesture either, her face showing a stiff upper lip in a smile.
“They said I shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t stop myself,” Frazier told reporters after his entourage left. “She has her own palace, but I have my own here, and I’m proud of it.”
He added, “Listen, she’s a woman just like me. If she hadn’t worn that crown, she would have been just like me.”
For the record, Elizabeth did not actually visit wearing a crown. She wore a maize-colored hat that matched her suit.
how old are you?
Then, in 2007, George W. Bush welcomed the Queen in the Rose Garden during another state visit.
The steps of the podium were carefully set up so that he could no longer continue speaking, but the president let his lips slip and began his speech.
“You helped our country celebrate its bicentennial in 2017,” he began, reflecting on himself before ending the year. “In 1976!”
He looked at her with a smile and winked. Turning to the gathered dignitaries, he reported, “She gave me the look that only a mother can give to her child.”
David Manning, Britain’s ambassador to the United States at the time, said the Queen didn’t mind her occasional gaffes. In a life dictated by schedules and scripts, she sometimes seemed to enjoy them.
“I’ve seen her get amused when things haven’t gone well,” he said. All things considered, that was a good thing.
Susan Page, USA TODAY’s Washington bureau chief, is the author of “Queens and Presidents,” published by Harper in April.
