NEW Episode: The White House 1600 Sessions Podcast “Queen Elizabeth II and America’s Presidents”

Oct 17, 2024 Washington, D.C. —

The White House Historical Association released a new episode of The White House 1600 Sessions podcast today featuring a conversation with David Charter, the assistant editor (U.S.) of The Times and author of Royal Audience: 70 years, 13 presidents--One Queen's Special Relationship with America. Stewart McLaurin, president of the Association, and Charter talked about the history between the United States and the United Kingdom, including the longstanding friendship Queen Elizabeth II formed with American presidents in the White House. In the episode, McLaurin and Charter also discuss who the Queen shared her scone recipe with, the president who most shared her love of horses, and the presidential family that reminded her a great deal of her own.

“Queen Elizabeth II probably had more history with the American presidency than any president ever had," said McLaurin. "The heart and the mind of Queen Elizabeth II was so important and integral to the relationship with the U.S. for the past 70 years, and this book is a wonderful story of her relationship with our country.”

The new book from Charter examines the special relationship between a Queen and the United States, and between the United States and the United Kingdom over seven decades and 13 presidents, from Harry Truman to Joe Biden. Queen Elizabeth II reigned over the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms until her death in 2022 - the longest-serving British monarch of all time. She first visited the United States as a princess when she and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, arrived in Washington, D.C. on October 31, 1951 during the Truman presidency. She stayed at Blair House with President Harry Truman and his family, as the White House was under major renovation. Several months later she would ascend the throne after the passing of her father, King George VI.

It would be years before her first visit to the United States as Queen, when she and her husband arrived on October 17, 1957, and stayed with President Dwight Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower at the White House. Queen Elizabeth would go on to meet every sitting president through Joe Biden, except for Lyndon Johnson, which is explained in this episode.

“Queen Elizabeth II was a woman who embodied Britain's belief in American values and philosophies, as much as anything,” said Charter. “She really came to embody the special feeling between our two countries because it meant so much to her personally.”

The full video of this podcast episode is also available on the White House Historical Association’s YouTube channel here.

The White House 1600 Sessions podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

For more information, please contact press@whha.org.

The White House 1600 Sessions

The White House Historical Association’s President Stewart McLaurin is the host of The White House 1600 Sessions, the Association’s official audio and video podcast devoted to exploring the history, cultural impact, untold stories, and personal accounts of America’s most iconic residence and highest office.