A Brief History of Royals in America

A Brief History of Royals in America    2012/02/19 17:25
AP King George VI and Queen Elizabeth I, 1939 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth I (above, left) became the first British monarchs to set foot in the U.S. when they arrived Stateside on June 7, 1939. The visit was significant: not only was it a historically huge moment between the former colony and its ruler, but it marked the dawn of American-British cooperation on the brink of World War II. Perhaps most memorably, the King and Queen enjoyed their first hot dog at a good ole American picnic with President Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor. While the King ate with his hands like an American and asked for seconds, the Queen daintily cut her hot dog with a fork and knife Popperfoto / Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II, 1957 Queen Elizabeth II took in a Maryland–North Carolina football game when she visited the U.S. in October 1957. Amazed by the brawny athletes, the Queen famously asked, "Where do you get all those enormous players?" To which Maryland's governor replied, "Your majesty, that's a very embarrassing question." She also visited Washington, New York and Williamsburg, Va., where she marked the 350th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement. Bettmann / CORBIS King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit, 1960 Not long after his ascension to the throne, Thailand's King Bhumibol, along with his wife and four children, took more than seven months and traveled the world. He made the most of his U.S. visit in June 1960, visiting Disneyland; touring movie studios; chatting with President Dwight Eisenhower (above, center), Bob Hope, Lucille Ball and Elvis Presley; and addressing Congress. But while the King may have enjoyed his time in the States, don't expect him to come back. The much-loved monarch has not left Thailand since his introductory state visits RONALD REAGAN LIBRARY / EPA / CORBIS Prince Charles and Princess Diana, 1985 When Prince Charles and Princess Diana arrived in the U.S. in 1985, "royal fever" spread across the land. The pair with the seemingly fairy-tale marriage wowed at a gala dinner hosted by President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy. As the Prince mingled with Clint Eastwood and Tom Selleck, the Princess took to the dance floor on the arm of a young John Travolta (above, left) in her midnight-blue velvet gown topped off with a sapphire and diamond choker. Though the American public clung to Diana's every word, move and wardrobe choice, the President momentarily bungled her name, referring to her as "Er ... Princess David ... Princess Diane." Terry Ashe / Time & Life Pictures Queen Elizabeth II, 1991 When the Queen travels across the pond, attention must be paid. Unfortunately, during the monarch's May 1991 visit, her hat made more of an impression than her speech. In the infamous "talking hat" incident, the 5-ft. 4-in. Queen stood behind a lectern that was so tall, only her broad-brimmed, striped hat could be seen. Two days later, when she became the first British monarch to address Congress, Elizabeth II evoked laughter and a standing ovation when she joked, "I do hope you can see me today," before beginning her speech. A Brief History of Royals in America Next Back 6 of 11 Rex Banner / Getty Images King Hussein, 1998 In October 1998, President Bill Clinton mediated arduous peace negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat. When negotiations appeared to derail on the sixth day, Clinton called in his trump card: King Hussein of Jordan, who arrived gaunt and pale, yet energetic, from the Mayo Clinic, where he was receiving cancer treatment. "You can't afford for this to fail," he told the gathered leaders. "You owe this to your people, your children, to future generations." Arafat and Netanyahu worked through the night, hammering out a final settlement that became the Wye River Memorandum — the basis for peace efforts from that point onward. The King died three months later Mark Cowan / Icon SMI / Corbis   Queen Elizabeth II, 2007 A noted horse enthusiast and frequent wearer of fine hats, Queen Elizabeth II fit in perfectly when she watched the 133rd Kentucky Derby. Wearing a lime-green wool coat, silk dress and lime-green hat with a large fuchsia bow, the Queen flew to Kentucky with her husband Prince Philip. The pair watched Street Sense win by two and a quarter lengths. Absent the royal luck two weeks later in the Preakness, Street Sense lost by a nose, preventing a run at the Triple Crown. HUGH GENTRY / Reuters / Corbis Emperor Akihito, 2009 In May 1994, the son of Japan's wartime emperor was scheduled to be the first Japanese leader to visit Pearl Harbor. Instead, hoping to avoid tough questions from his subjects, Emperor Akihito and his wife Michiko visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, where 34,000 veterans of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam are interred. The Emperor and his wife returned to Hawaii 15 years later, again paying their respects by laying a wreath at the National Memorial Cemetery. Steve Snowden / Getty Images   Crown Prince Felipe, 2009 To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the oldest capital city in what would become the U.S., Spain's Crown Prince Felipe de Borbón y Grecia (center) and his wife, the Princess of Asturias Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (right), visited Santa Fe, N.M. The Prince spoke about the Native-American influence on the area's culture before adding two Spanish coins and a Spanish flag to the city's time capsule, and both royals inspected a cottonwood tree planted by Felipe's father King Juan Carlos on a visit decades earlier Richard Drew / AP Queen Elizabeth II, 2010 On the hottest day of the year, as temperatures in Manhattan broke 102°F, Queen Elizabeth II addressed the U.N. for only the second time, 53 years after her first U.N. speech. "The aims and values that inspired the United Nations charter endure," she told the assembly. "It is my hope that when judged by future generations, our sincerity, our willingness to take a lead and our determination to do the right thing will stand the test of time." The Queen then visited Ground Zero and dedicated a memorial garden to the 67 British victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.