By: HISTORY.com Editors
US Presidential Visits With the British Monarchy: Photos
A state visit is the highest level of diplomatic welcome the United Kingdom can extend.
The United Kingdom, known for its pomp and circumstance, reserves one of its highest honors for foreign leaders in the form of a state visit. The late Queen Elizabeth II hosted about 112 state visits in Britain during her reign from 1952 to 2022. While several U.S. presidents have been guests of the royal family, only a few were accorded full state visit honors. American presidents bestowed with the honor include George W. Bush in 2003, Barack Obama in 2011 and Donald Trump in 2019 and 2025.
Other presidents, from Woodrow Wilson to John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan, have been welcomed as honored guests at Buckingham Palace. Regardless of the status of the visit, the British monarchy has offered elaborate and warm welcomes to American presidents. This is in line with what Prime Minister Winston Churchill described in 1946 as "a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States.”
See photos of the British monarchy welcoming U.S. presidents over the decades.
Getty ImagesWoodrow Wilson
President Woodrow Wilson was the first sitting U.S. president to visit the United Kingdom. Wilson traveled there in 1918 after the end of World War I. On his way to attend the Paris Peace Conference, Wilson met King George V in London. The two are shown here leaving Buckingham Palace in a carriage.
Getty ImagesJohn F. Kennedy
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace in June 1961 during a visit that included a formal dinner. It was the second time in the 20th century that a U.S. President had dined in Buckingham Palace.
Getty ImagesRonald Reagan
In 1982, President Ronald Reagan was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle. Reagan was the first sitting U.S. president to stay overnight at Windsor Castle. During this visit, Reagan and the Queen rode horses together at Windsor Great Park.
Getty ImagesGeorge W. Bush
President George W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth II, First Lady Laura Bush and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, pose in the music room at Buckingham Palace on November 19, 2003. The queen hosted a state banquet at the palace for the president and his wife on the first night of a three-day state visit to Britain.
AFP via Getty ImagesBarack Obama
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet Queen Elizabeth II before a dinner at the Winfield House in London on May 25, 2011. Before her death in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II met every U.S. president but one since the 1950s. In a toast at a dinner honoring President Obama, Queen Elizabeth said, "Your visit to this country inevitably reminds us of our shared history, our common language and our strong intellectual and cultural links."
Getty ImagesDonald Trump
President Donald Trump, Queen Elizabeth II, First Lady Melania Trump, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, pose at Buckingham Palace during Trump’s first state visit to Britain in 2019. The visit coincided with the president's trip to Portsmouth, England, to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Queen Elizabeth II: Britain's Longest-Reigning Monarch
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Citation Information
- Article Title
- US Presidential Visits With the British Monarchy: Photos
- Author
- HISTORY.com Editors
- Website Name
- History
- Date Accessed
- October 29, 2026
- Publisher
- A&E Television Networks
- Last Updated
- September 19, 2025
- Original Published Date
- September 17, 2025
