Historically, if we overlook the actions of the American Revolutionary War and the shocking waste of tea, dumped in the Boston harbor, America and England have shared a great relationship.
Allies in times of war and cultural cousins in times of peace, there's plenty of give and take between the nations.
And one of the biggest exports sent to the US by the UK is royalty. Ironic given the whole revolution, but still a fact. Traditionally, British royals have been met with open arms, and everyone from Princess Diana to Kate Middleton have been greeted like pop stars.
Let's take a look back at some of the funniest, touching and memorable moments of US/UK diplomacy, courtesy of the Royal Family...
The best moments and stories from royals in the USA
Princess Diana's dance with John Travolta
One of the most iconic examples of the British Royal's star power came when Princess Diana and Prince Charles attended a White House dinner on the first night of their royal tour of the US in 1985.
Alongside famous guests including Neil Diamond, Leontyne Price, Tom Selleck, Gloria Vanderbilt, Estée Lauder, Clint Eastwood and Mikhail Baryshnikov, it was Grease icon John Travolta who made all the headlines as he used those famous dancing feet to twirl Princess Diana around the dance floor.
The night was legendary, and it made a legend of Diana's midnight blue Edelstein gown that would eventually sell for a staggering £264,000 ($325,317) in a 2019 auction.
George Bush ages Queen Elizabeth a few (hundred) years
Queen Elizabeth II met 13 out of 14 presidents during her historic 70-year reign, only missing out on meeting Lyndon B Johnson. However, we'd imagine George Bush could've found himself lower down on her list of favorites after his embarrassing goof.
In 2007, during his second stint as President of the United States, George W Bush accidentally implied that Her Majesty was present to celebrate the birth of America in 1776.
He had meant the celebration of its bicentennial in 1996.
The Queen hilariously gets her own back on George Bush
After President Bush had mistakenly implied that Queen Elizabeth was a couple of hundred years old, and was present for the birth of America in 1776, Her Majesty showcased her sharp wit with a hilarious retort later on.
At a formal dinner two days later, Her Majesty cheekily opened her speech by saying, "I wondered whether I should start this toast by saying, ‘When I was here in 1776...’" to which President Bush reportedly let out an embarrassed laugh.
Princess Diana attends the Met Gala
As proof of her role bringing modern fame and relevance to the monarchy, Princess Diana made her debut in 1996.
Talking about Diana's headline making appearance in the docuseries, In Vogue: The 90s, John Galliano described dressing how Diana proved rebellious and free-thinking even when it came to the dress he designed for her.
"So we did the dress and subsequent fittings, and it was beautifully done... Fast-forward to the event, and I just remember her getting out of the car. I couldn't believe it. She'd ripped the corset out."
The Chairman of the Board meets the Queen of England
In 1983, Queen Elizabeth II made one of her seven official state visits to the United States - and it came at a time of excess for the country.
With the Reagans in the White House, glamor and style were at the forefront, which was best captured in the glitzy bash First Lady Nancy threw in honor of Her Majesty.
Swapping politicians and dignitaries with the biggest names of the day, the Queen was welcomed by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick.
The Queen’s hilarious 'talking hat' moment
In 1991, Queen Elizabeth visited the States again, this time hosted by President George H W Bush. During this visit, the Queen gave a well-received speech to Congress, but one of the standout moments was something a bit unexpected.
The Queen - who stood at five foot three - went to address the crowd at the White House only to discover the podium completely dwarfed her, leaving nothing but one of her iconic hats poking out of the top. At the time, reports jokingly referred to it as if she was a talking hat.
The following day, while talking at the House of Congress, she started her speech with, "I do hope you can see me today."
Prince William and Kate Middleton bring Earthshot to Boston
In 2022, Prince William brought his Earthshot Prize awards ceremony stateside, and proved that wherever a royal goes, the stars will follow.
Taking place in Boston - and featuring a sustainable-themed green carpet - the likes of Rami Malek, David Beckham, Catherine O'Hara and Billie Eilish all joined the Prince and Princess of Wales for their memorable evening.
Queen Elizabeth proved how adventurous she can be
In a more private moment for two incredibly public individuals, Queen Elizabeth II and Ronald Reagan bonded over horse riding. However, per the Reagan Library, before the two world leaders could relax over their shared love of horseback riding, they had to weather some storms - literally.
To get to Reagan's Rancho Del Cielo in Santa Barbara, flash floods caused dangerous conditions and hazardous roads, forcing the Queen and Prince Philip to abandon their limousines and hop into SUVs.
Several trees and rocks had been uprooted along the road. According to her Press Secretary at the time, the Queen described the trip as "delightful and terribly exciting."
Kate Middleton goes bold for the Big Apple
While we can only speculate, Kate Middleton was likely emboldened to experiment with a brighter color than we'd usually see her in when she took in the big, bright lights of NYC in 2014.
Kate wore a hot pink Mulberry coat, which she had first debuted when pregnant with Princess Charlotte. Kate was pregnant during her trip to New York, and many believed her choice of coat and its colour was a hint that she was having another baby girl.
Of course, their third child turned out to be Prince Louis, so it was just an example of Kate loving vibrant colours.
The Queen takes in a football game, American style
In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II paid her first visit to the United States as Queen - she had previously visited as Princess.
As Queen, she was given a much more immersive experience of the best of the US, which, naturally, included a trip to a roaring college football game.
While Her Majesty might have been expecting England's idea of soccer, we can only imagine her reaction to American Football.
Prince William and Kate Middleton do a US-style date night
They might be the future king and queen of the United Kingdom, but on a date night when visiting Boston in 2022, Prince William and Kate Middleton could've passed for your regular All American couple.
The love birds looked smitten as they laughed and joked away while watching a basketball game.
Not quite the same level as the Royal Box at Wimbledon, but the pair looked like they had a fun time.
Royal Family meets the humble hotdog
On June 11, 1939, King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth (aka the Queen Mother) paid a historic visit to the States where they were hosted by President FDR.
Amusingly, Roosevelt didn't feel the need to show off when it came to the menu, serving the royals hotdogs. An American classic.
Indeed, so shocking was this news to some that The New York Times ran with a headline the next day that read, "KING TRIES HOT DOG AND ASKS FOR MORE."
The Prince and Princess of Wales meet a different kind of king
American basketball star LeBron James is referred to as King James, and this king got to meet the future King and Queen of the United Kingdom during William and Kate's 2014 visit stateside.
The Prince and Princess of Wales watched court-side as LeBron led the his squad to victory and after the game, LeBron met the couple and presented them with their own basketball uniforms - plus one to give to their (at the time) one year-old son, Prince George.
Queen Camilla’s first overseas tour
The United States played quite the important role for Queen Camilla; in 2005, she underwent her first official overseas royal tour there alongside King Charles.
While there, Camilla and Charles met with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the White House, as well as inaugurating the British Memorial Garden for UK victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Diana-mania sweeps NYC
In February 1989, Princess Diana made her first official trip overseas without the then Prince Charles. At this point, her star power preceded her and crowds mobbed her wherever she went, including a Harlem AIDS hospital.
However, a highlight of the trip was when she stunned in a white, embellished Victor Edelstein gown with a matching bolero for a charity gala.
Diana’s presence brought out the biggest names in New York Society, and the price of the event, per the New York Times, reached $1,000 per ticket.
A pregnant Kate glams up in Manhattan
While expecting Princess Charlotte in 2014, Prince William and Kate Middleton embarked on their fourth royal tour as a married couple, visiting New York.
In addition to staying at the iconic Carlyle Hotel, known to be a favorite of Princess Diana's, the couple brought their A-game and showed America full royal glamor.
At a swanky event, with William dapper in black tie, the pregnant princess looked regal in a fabulous blue-green Jenny Packham gown.
The Queen's first baseball game
In 1991, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited the United States together, meeting with President George H.W. Bush.
As a lifelong baseball fan, President Bush ended up doing what few people can brag about - doing something with Queen Elizabeth that no one had before.
He took Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip to a Baltimore Orioles vs. Oakland Athletics baseball game, where the royal couple met with players and got into the spirit of the match, with one image from the event showing them seemingly cheering with the crowd.
King Charles shows off his (lack of) bowling skills
King Charles showed off his sporting prowess (or, respectfully, lack thereof) when he and Queen Camilla paid a visit to Washington, D.C. in 2015.
The pair visited the Armed Forces Retirement Home, which just so happened to have a bowling alley on the premises.
When coaxed to try his hand at a strike, unfortunately for His Majesty, he only knocked down four pins.
Eisenhower meets a recently crowned Queen
Although Elizabeth II had visited the USA before, her visit in October 1957 marked her first visit to the country as Queen.
She was hosted by the 34th President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, for her four-day trip, during which she visited New York City, Washington, and Virginia.
It was a poignant moment as President Eisenhower had actually met Elizabeth when she was a princess, so he had a peripheral experience with the passing of time, and a true moment of history.
A sibling moment for Charles and Anne
In 1970, there was a passing of the torch moment of sorts when the children of some of the most powerful world leaders met.
The now King Charles and his sister, Princess Anne, paid a visit to Washington as they were growing up and taking on more responsibility within the Royal Family.
In one glamorous soiree, the children of Queen Elizabeth II posed alongside the President and Vice President's children, Tricia Nixon, Julie Nixon, and David Eisenhower.
Kate Middleton wins over an A-list fan
The biggest names in showbiz aren't immune to the indescribable pull of royalty, as Legally Blonde icon Reese Witherspoon discovered.
In her book, Whiskey in a Teacup, Reese detailed her meeting with Prince William and Kate Middleton during their visit to the US in 2011.
She described having a "wardrobe meltdown" beforehand, panicking about what to wear for the Princess, but later described her as "warm" and shared how Kate told a joke to put everyone at ease around her.
Kate Middleton takes in some art
During their 2014 tour of the US, Prince William and Kate Middleton attended a poignant event that had a connection to their own love story, all the way back in Scotland's University of St Andrews.
The pair attended a dinner celebrating 600 years of the university, hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
From studying her degree in the History of Art to getting a look up close at some of the world's best artworks as the official future queen? Surely a full circle moment for the Princess of Wales.
William and Kate meet Beyonce and Jay Z
During their first NBA match, Prince William and Kate Middleton experienced another first.
The Prince and Princess of Wales met none other than Queen Bey, Beyonce, and her husband, Jay Z. The starry foursome chatted away during a break in the match between the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers as Rule Britannia played on the sound system.
First Lady Betty Ford shared some insight about her visit from the Queen
President Gerald Ford hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip for a state dinner during their visit to the States in 1976.
While these things are usually kept to press comments, First Lady Betty Ford shared some hilarious intel behind the dinner, revealing her (rather relatable) follies.
She wrote in her memoir, "If I hadn't kept mixing up Your Highness and Your Majesty (he's His Highness, she's Her Majesty) I'd give myself four stars for the way that visit went off."
The Queen’s hilarious comment to Betty Ford
In a lovely moment of bonding between two powerful women who also shared similar pains with parenting, Queen Elizabeth and Betty Ford reportedly had a sweet exchange.
Per CNN, in Kate Andersen Brower's book, First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies, she details that when the Fords were showing the royal couple around, they ran into their son, Jack.
Jack wasn't quite prepared for a royal visit, dressed down in jeans and a t-shirt. Apparently, Betty was embarrassed by his appearance but the Queen replied, "Don't worry, Betty, I have one of those at home, too."
The Queen cracks up Ronald Reagan
During her visit to the States in 1983, President Ronald Reagan hosted a dinner for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
While the visit went wonderfully - and it's been often reported that Reagan and the Queen kept corresponding throughout the rest of his life - one of the highlights was the Queen showcasing that trademark dry British wit.
After experiencing a slew of unseasonably bad weather and rain during the visit, Her Majesty quipped during a speech, "I knew before we came that we had exported many of our traditions to the United States, I had not realized before that weather was one of them."
Charles and Camilla witness the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
In 2005, as part of their first overseas tour as a married couple, King Charles and Queen Camilla visited New Orleans following the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
In a moving gesture, Charles pledged to donate $25,000 to the relief efforts.
Kate Middleton goes to Harvard
First, came Elle Woods. Next, the Princess of Wales.
While Kate Middleton and Prince William visited Boston ahead of the 2022 Eartshot awards ceremony, the Princess of Wales made a special, separate appearance, and it involved something very close to her heart.
The Princess made a solo visit to The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University as part of her work highlighting the importance of early childhood development wearing a chic houndstooth dress from Emilia Wickstead.
The Queen and Gerald Ford dance up a storm
A gilded, glamorous moment that charmed fans on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Queen Elizabeth II and Gerald Ford shared a memorable dance during the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations at the White House.
One small step for Her Majesty…
During their 1983 tour of the United States, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were allowed to look inside the Apollo 14 command module, a spaceship that had successfully been to the moon and back in 1971.
Duchess Sophie’s poignant visit to Ground Zero
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh's tour of New York and Toronto in 2015 was special for two reasons.
The first is that she went as part of her role as Ambassador of 100 Women in Finance. A successful businesswoman before marrying into the Royal Family, Sophie's visit would help inspire more young women to pursue a thriving career.
The other poignant part involved Sophie visiting the Ground Zero memorial, in honor of those lost in the 9/11 attacks.
The Queen’s close bond with one president included sharing recipes
In one heart-warming revelation, it would seem that Queen Elizabeth's visits to the United States during Eisenhower's tenure established a friendship that lasted the years.
Correspondence between the former president and Queen Elizabeth II can be seen at the Eisenhower Presidential Library, and per several reports, there was one sweet exchange involving scones.
In one of the letters Eisenhower sent to Queen Elizabeth II, he asked for a recipe for the scones that he had while visiting Balmoral Castle.
She replied, "Dear Mr. President, seeing a picture of you in today’s newspaper standing in front of a barbecue grilling quail reminded me that I had never sent you the recipe for the drop scones."
She, of course, shared the secrets to Balmoral's treats.
