Powerful Photos Of Historical World Leaders Meeting Queen Elizabeth
With the sole exception of Antarctica, Queen Elizabeth II set foot on every continent on Earth. During her 70-year reign, 15 British Prime Ministers served, 14 different U.S. Presidents came and went, and she visited countless other leaders around the world. Here’s a look at those incredible moments immortalized on camera.
1. Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill witnessed many different monarchs rule over Britain during his lifetime, but Elizabeth was the final one. Conversely, Churchill was actually the first British prime minister to hold office during her reign. By all accounts the two respected each other immensely, with the statesman even reportedly teaching her about politics.
2. Pope John Paul II
As ruling monarch, Elizabeth was the head of the Church of England. So, whenever she met with a head of the Catholic Church — she met five of them in total — it was always a big deal. Perhaps the most notable pope she ever met was John Paul II, as his visit to Britain marked the first time a pontiff had ever made the trip there. That happened in 1982: two years after the then-Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, traveled to the Vatican to meet John Paul II for the first time. The two met one last time in 2000.
3. Nelson Mandela
Elizabeth is said to have had a “warm friendship” with South African president Nelson Mandela, who was even bold enough to make jokes during their meetings. That’s what Mandela’s private secretary has been telling Reuters, anyway. As Zelda La Grange relayed to the news agency, “Approaching the Queen, Mr Mandela had a very wicked sense of humor. So, he walked up to the Queen and when he saw her he said, ‘Elizabeth, you’ve lost weight!’ and the Queen burst out laughing. I think he was the only person in the world who could comment on the Queen’s weight and get away with it.”
4. Charles de Gaulle
When French president Charles de Gaulle visited Britain in 1960 the monarch was apparently forced to talk him out of a dangerous action. As the pair traveled around in a carriage, de Gaulle supposedly kept standing upright. This could have ended in an accident, forcing Elizabeth to try to intervene.
