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WASHINGTON - The Queen's state visit to the US reached its climax yesterday as George W. Bush welcomed her to the White House with trumpets, national anthems and a 21-gun salute - and, it must be recorded, yet another Presidential verbal stumble.
After 55 years on the throne and with American Presidents stretching back to Dwight Eisenhower under her belt already, the 81-year-old monarch by any standards is one of the most permanent fixtures on the international scene.
But even she was not around in Philadelphia 231 years ago, as Mr Bush almost implied.
"The American people are proud to welcome your majesty back to the United States, a nation you've come to know very well" he said in prepared remarks in front of 7,000 notables and not-so-notables assembled on the South Lawn of the White House on a sunny, picture-perfect spring morning.
"After all you've dined with 10 US Presidents. You've helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 - in 1976," he said.
1776 was when representatives of the original 13 colonies issued the Declaration of Independence from the Britain of her distant ancestor King George III.
Only two centuries later did the present monarch travel here, to participate in the lavish bicentennial celebrations.
As he realised his error, America's current King George looked somewhat sheepishly at her.
She looked back at him from under her hat.
Whether she was amused or not was impossible to say.
Mr Bush however rescued himself with deft self-deprecation: "She gave me a look only a mother could give a child," he said to much laughter.
As American royal-related gaffes go however this was small beer - certainly when compared to the notorious 'talking hat' incident, during the Queen's last state visit in 1991.
On that occasion, the White House protocol department provided her with too tall a lectern.
All that TV viewer could see was a bobbing hat, as she delivered her prepared remarks.
This time however Mr Bush swiftly made amends for any offence given, referring to the Queen as a 'great leader' and - music to the ears of some - praising the "special relationship" between the US and Britain.
After the welcome ceremony, Mr and Ms Bush held a private lunch for their guests, before accompanying the Queen and Prince Philip on the short walk across Pennsylvania Avenue back to Blair House where the royal couple is staying.
Last night Mr Bush, noted for his down-home Texan style of entertainment, was hosting the first white-tie dinner of his presidency, complete with a performance by the violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman.
"We did sort of have to convince him a little bit," Laura Bush said of her own and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's efforts to persuade the President to agree to the event - in essence a return of the white tie banquet at Buckingham Palace during his official visit to Britain in November 2003.
Whatever the verbal slips, the Queen's visit is providing some sorely-needed relief for Mr Bush from the ceaseless bad news from Iraq, his almost daily battles with the Democrat-controlled Congress, and an approval rating of 28 per cent, the lowest of any President in almost 30 years.
- INDEPENDENT
