The Queen met with US President Ronald Reagan several times during his two terms in office, but none was more important than his visit to Windsor in 1982.
Secret documents kept at the Foreign Office showed how the Queen’s exquisite riding skills could change the course of history when President Reagan visited the UK in 1982.
The 40th President of the United States traveled to Windsor with Her Majesty as a top priority on her 1982 European tour, which also included an audience with the Pope, as well as G7 and NATO meetings.
President Reagan reportedly considered it “the most photogenic event” of his entire trip.
The Queen was riding a mare given to her by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police named Burma, President Reagan was riding a Centennial black gelding when the couple met in 1982.
Her Majesty held a number of meetings with the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, during his two terms in office. Pictured at Buckingham Palace in 1989.
President Reagan laughs at Queen Elizabeth II’s joke about the lousy California weather she’s experienced since her arrival in the States in 1983. She was invited to Los Angeles as a thank you for giving the president a “fabulous” experience. during his European tour in 1982.
Sir Nicholas “Nico” Henderson, the British ambassador to Washington, even called the day of riding “the only absolutely stable and central point in any discussion” of the late president’s visit.
The ride around Windsor Manor, which lasted about an hour, went off without a hitch, despite being “chased by US Secret Service riders in a state of near-panic.”
Previously unknown documents were released in a freedom of information request that also revealed that the Foreign Office asked the Queen not to use the phrase “special relationship” in her address during the President’s visit.
While she didn’t call it a “special relationship,” she called the president a true friend when faced with the “blatant aggression” that Argentina “imposed on us” in the Falklands.
The Queen had previously shared a joke with the President during a gala dinner at Windsor Castle in 1982.
The President’s meeting with the Queen may have helped persuade him to support Britain on the Falklands issue, recently released documents have shown.
Prince Charles, Duke Philip of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II greet US President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan at Windsor Castle during an official visit to England in June 1982.
All members of the royal family were smiling as they entertained the leader of the free world at a crucial moment in British history.
They feasted on Balmoral salmon, as well as a lamb saddle, during dinner at George’s Hall at Windsor Castle.
Sir Nicholas “Nico” Henderson, the British ambassador to Washington, even called the day of riding “the only absolutely stable and central point in any discussion” of the late president’s visit.
The 1982 files were published by royal biographer Robert Hardman in his new book The Queen of Our Time.
Hardman wrote: “Emphasis [of Reagan’s visit] was informal, although the Reagan stay included a state banquet and an address to both houses of parliament.
“However, Foreign Office documents recently released following a Freedom of Information request show that President Reagan singled out one event above all others as the most important element of the entire presidential grand tour of Europe: the prospect of riding the Queen in Windsor Home Park.
President Ronald Reagan, who died in June 2004, played the US anthem with the Grenadier Guards Band at Windsor Castle with his wife Nancy and the Queen. The presidential couple have just arrived by helicopter from Heathrow Airport.
Later, the American leader compared the British problems off the east coast of South America to one of the most difficult liberation conflicts in world history.
Robert Hardman, author of The Queen of Our Time, which revealed previously unseen documents, said: “Numerous confidential memos flew back and forth across the Atlantic about the president’s ideal horse, saddle and riding style, and ideas for dinner guests at royal palace. banquet
President Reagan became the first American president to visit the Queen at Windsor Castle when he made the trip there in 1982.
President Ronald and his wife Nancy Reagan, who died in 2016, smile and wave as they arrive at Heathrow to begin their UK visit as part of their 1982 European tour.
President Reagan also had an audience with Pope John Paul II while visiting the Vatican during the tour.
Ronald Reagan also posed with leaders of the time, including Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom, at a NATO meeting in Bonn, West Germany.
However, even though his European tour included meetings with NATO (pictured) and the G7, his highlight was his trip with the queen.
President Ronald Reagan arrives at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin for a NATO summit in 1982 with his wife Nancy.
He added: “Over the next few weeks, numerous confidential notes about the President’s ideal horse, saddle and riding style, as well as ideas for guests at the Queen’s banquet, flew back and forth across the Atlantic.”
While the Queen rode a mare given to her by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police named Burmese, President Reagan rode a Centennial black gelding.
The riding competition may have helped persuade Reagan to support Britain’s fight for the Falklands.
Indeed, the American leader later compared Britain’s troubles off the east coast of South America to one of the worst liberation conflicts in world history.
Queen Elizabeth II offers to shake hands with singer Perry Como as Hollywood greats Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick watch the Queen’s Gala at 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles, 1983.
The Queen also entertained the President and his First Lady at Windsor with a gala dinner of Balmoral salmon and lamb saddle in St George’s Hall.
Reagan later wrote in his diary that the magical journey to Windsor was “a fairy tale”.
To thank the Queen, President Reagan invited Her Majesty to Los Angeles, where she always wanted to go.
There she met Hollywood celebrities from Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick to Perry Como and Julie Andrews.