Elizabeth did not forget the President’s brief slip-up, leading with it when she later delivered remarks during a dinner at the ambassador’s residence in Washington. The dinner was organized by the Queen in return for a white-tie dinner, the first of its kind hosted by the Bush family at the White House.
“I wondered whether I should start this toast saying that I was here in 1776,” said Elizabeth, prompting raucous laughter from Bush and the other attendees.
During his own speech, the President replied: “Your Majesty, I can’t top that one.”
The moment is often revisited as a strong example of Elizabeth’s ability to adapt to the moment and inject whimsy into her speeches.
“She had a strong sense of humor, especially when there were moments at these carefully scripted events that did not go according to plan,” Harris says.
“She knew how to make jokes that were exactly the right tone, where, even if she was poking fun a little bit at somebody, she would do it so gently,” Meinzer adds.