If looks could kill, Mr Bush, you'd be a goner

A CLOUDLESS blue sky, a military marching band, an immaculate red carpet - the White House managed to put everything in order yesterday for the Queen's first visit to the United States in 16 years. Everything, that is, except for George Bush.

In his opening remarks, the president managed to undo weeks of preparation in a single phrase. At the welcoming ceremony in Washington DC, Mr Bush had been talking about one of the Queen's previous visits, in 1976, which coincided with the 200th anniversary of American independence.

In front of more than 7,000 politicians, diplomats, White House staff and their families, Mr Bush told the Queen: "You helped our nation to celebrate its bicentennial in 17 ..." before hastily correcting himself and saying "1976."

The crowd laughed and the president paused, turned to the Queen and winked. He turned back to the lectern and quipped: "She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child."

The Queen laughed in response.

Yesterday was always going to be a struggle for the president, who, against his natural inclinations, had organised a day of high pomp and pageantry on the White House lawn. Familiar with Mr Bush's famed informality, the US press had, in the run-up to the Queen's visit, predicted disaster.

The New York Times pondered how the "towel-snapping Texan who puts his feet on the coffee table, drinks water straight from the bottle and was once caught on tape talking with food in his mouth" will cope.

USA Today wondered how Mr Bush would go over with British royalty, the true "sultans of ceremony", adding: "Bush is famous for his opposition to formality and staying up late, but he is nevertheless going all out for the Queen."

The president may have staged the first white-tie state banquet of his administration last night, but it was his gaffe that stole the show.

Unruffled, the Queen took the podium and quickly swung into her prepared speech, hailing the closeness of US-British relations. "It is the moment to take stock of our present friendship, rightly taking pleasure from its strengths while never taking these for granted," she said.

"And it is the time to look forward, jointly renewing our commitment to a more prosperous, safer and freer world."

Penny Junor, whose book The Firm documents the inner workings of the Royal Family, said: "I would have thought that this would have been received without a great deal of humour. [The Royal Family] take the whole business of respecting the office, if not the person, very seriously. So [Bush's second comment] was over-familiar. The Queen is human, of course, and would have seen that he was trying to get himself out of an awkward situation, but I don't think it would have been taken as particularly funny."

The latest incident will do little to endear the president to the Queen, who has had a close relationship with other US leaders, particularly Ronald Reagan. The former film star loved formality. He wore morning dress at his 1981 inauguration. When he visited the UK in the 1980s, he and the Queen rode horses together in Windsor Great Park.

TALENT FOR GAFFES RUNS IN THE FAMILY

THE gaffe-prone President George Bush once admitted to the Queen he was the black sheep of his family and then turned to her and asked: "Who's yours?"

The encounter came at the White House in 1991 when his father, George Bush snr, was in power.

Barbara Bush stepped in and warned the monarch: "Don't answer that." The Queen, wisely, did not reply.

The current president is well known for awkward encounters with heads of state.

He once shocked Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, when he tried to give her a back rub at a G8 conference. The incident was caught on video, and became an instant hit on the internet site YouTube.

At another high-powered meeting, Mr Bush famously paused while chewing his lunch to shout, "Yo, Blair!" at the Prime Minister.

Under the command of Mr Bush snr, the White House lawn was the scene of another gaffe - "Podiumgate".

When the Queen delivered her address in 1991, all that could be seen of her above the podium and microphones was her hat.

Someone forgot to put the small, raised platform in place for the royal VIP.

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