Wondering about the perks of being the spouse of the world’s most powerful leader? You get to travel the world and meet other high-profile people from different countries. That’s what Michelle Obama‘s life looked like for eight years when her husband served as the president of the United States for two consecutive terms.
During Barack’s presidency from 2009 to 2017, the couple met several influential leaders, but the one personality that left Michelle starstruck was the late Queen Elizabeth II.
For the unaware, Barack and Michelle Obama met Queen Elizabeth II on April 1, 2009, during their visit to Buckingham Palace. Subsequently, the Obamas met the late Queen multiple times officially, but the unofficial meeting where the Queen invited and hosted them at her palace remains the most special moment for Michelle.
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Michelle recently appeared on a podcast called Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce where she recalled her visit to the Buckingham Palace. Confessing that meeting the late Queen of UK was a surreal experience, she said, “The first time I met her, I was at her house, at Buckingham Palace, and the monarchy is all that. You pull up to Buckingham Palace and it is a palace, and this is what you’ve seen your whole life. Me and Barack, we’re walking in, and we’re kind of the honored guests.”
Through his extraordinary example, His Royal Highness Prince Philip proved that true partnership has room for both ambition and selflessness — all in service of something greater. Our thoughts are with Her Majesty the Queen, the Royal Family, and the British people. pic.twitter.com/qbH2ycbcaA
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 9, 2021
The former first lady went to explain the three things she learned from the late Queen. Michelle said, “What I learned early on in those first interactions with the Queen was how protocol is really the thing that other people force on you and people in these high places are really trying to connect. You get all these rules about what to say, what not to do, where to stand and where not to stand.”
“But you’re just trying to connect, and I felt that from her as well. That there was a level of, ‘Oh my God, with the protocol, we’re just people trying to connect’. Her level of generosity towards me and my family, there were a lot of things that happened off the record on prior visits that were just generous, gracious courtesies,” she added.
Michelle still remembers the late Queen for her kindness. Emphasizing on the same, she said, “Recognising my mom and the girls in ways that it was not about what was on camera. She hosted us once when we were in London, just sort of on a girls’ family vacation. We didn’t make an announcement, but the palace heard that we were in the country and invited us over for an afternoon, hanging out in the palace. The girls were really little. They got to see the gold room and ride a carriage around the rose garden with nobody else there in Buckingham Palace.”
“There was absolutely no reason why she would have to to take time out of her day to come down and sit with me, my mom, my daughters, like it was a regular visit,” she added.
Her meeting with the late Queen certainly left a lasting impressing. Moved by Queen Elizabeth II’s generosity, Michelle concluded, “That was a model for me. Remembering that in these high places, you have to be human and have these human moments because people are often so starstruck that if you don’t help them shake out of that moment, they don’t get the most out of the moment.”
The Obamas mourned the Queen’s death in September 2022. This was another moment when the couple talked about the late Queen’s generosity. Barack wrote on X, “Michelle and I were lucky enough to know Her Majesty The Queen. Back when we were just beginning to navigate life as President and First Lady, she welcomed us to the world stage with extraordinary generosity. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family and those mourning her passing.”
Michelle and I were lucky enough to know Her Majesty The Queen. Back when we were just beginning to navigate life as President and First Lady, she welcomed us to the world stage with extraordinary generosity. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family and those mourning her passing. pic.twitter.com/pHzpUJwgYb
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 19, 2022
Barack also recalled how the late Queen “insisted that the girls (Barack’s daughters) take her golden carriage, which I guess she uses for jubilees, on a long drive through the Palace grounds. None of this was ever reported. It was just something that she did quietly.”
