Royal Audience: 70 Years, 13 Presidents—One Queen's Special Relationship with America

by David Charter

70 years on the throne. 13 American presidents. One extraordinary queen.

From the moment she first enchanted the world as a youthful princess, Queen Elizabeth II found a unique place in American hearts—and she also played an unprecedented role in forging transatlantic ties. Over her seventy-year reign, she developed extraordinary and varied personal bonds with thirteen U.S. presidents—Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, both Bush Sr. and Jr., Clinton, Obama, Trump, and Biden—that other diplomats and leaders could only dream of.

A fascinating, in-depth look at international relations and interpersonal intrigue, Royal Audience peels back the curtain on the “special relationship” between the U.S. and the U.K. as embodied by the Queen herself—charting Elizabeth II’s distinctive brand of one-to-one diplomacy through the eyes of those who experienced it firsthand. From horse-riding with Ronald Reagan, to sharing her recipe for scones with Dwight D. Eisenhower, to striking up a kinship with the Bushes and the Obamas, the Queen’s interactions with her U.S. counterparts often acted as a restorative tonic for relations between two nations, even when political tensions ran high. Not all royal encounters with U.S. presidents went smoothly, though. Between Jackie Kennedy’s complaints about Elizabeth and the Queen Mother’s shock at being kissed on the lips by Jimmy Carter, there was never a dull moment.

Throughout the years, Queen Elizabeth II’s sense of duty and service remained steadfast, and her iconic legacy is unlikely to be repeated.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Politics, Royalty, Presidents, Historical

336 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2024

About the author

Berlin Correspondent of The Times, author of Au Revoir Europe: What if Britain left the EU?

Reviews

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it very interesting to read what the US President and people close to them thought of Queen Elizabeth II. I enjoyed the stories of their meetings and what was going on at the time. Some of the more recent stories are familiar but there were many I was not aware of. It was an enjoyable look at history.

Thank you to the author, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love everything to do with the British Royal Family, but this book was very dull. It read like one long Wikipedia article. I expected there to be a lot more information about Her Majesty's relationship with the presidents and their conversations and meetings but there was much more history about what was going on during the time periods rather than intimate details between world leaders.

Thank you, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read, and a great spin on a way to look at the Queen’s reign.

[Read-n-Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good read. Queen Elizabeth, by this reading, sounds like she was a fun, cheerful person. And she accomplished so much in her 70 years as Queen. I am so glad and honored she enjoyed her stays with past Presidents while she visited the United States. I read she really enjoyed President Eisenhower and President Ronald Reagan. I agree with her on that, because I believe they were great Presidents too, to the United States. Thank you to #NetGalley , author, and publishers for the opportunity to read and review #RoyalAudience with my honest thoughts and opinions.

[Andrew L · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

Overall, an interesting read about a public figure who held office/reigned for a remarkable and generationally-defining period of time. The book's focus is clear: the "Special Relationship" between the United States, as defined by Queen Elizabeth II's relationships and correspondence with the Presidents of her lifetime (and reign). This is defined lens on which we're looking at the Queen and diplomacy.

It's understandably difficult (if not at times impossible) to get true background or opinions from the Royals, but Charter does a good job at rifling through archives and media reports and sources to put together a generally comprehensive picture of the various relationships and meetings that moves you through the decades at a pretty breakneck pace.

My interest did start to wane, though, largely due to the repetition. I theoretically had no less interest reading the chapter on Obama than I did on Eisenhower, but by the time I got there we had the odd few interesting tidbits and observations sprinkled in to each chapter, alongside the umpteenth recounting of speeches or toasts based off Churchill's same label of the US/UK "Special Relationship" and the various wars they battled side-by-side in, etc. + a recounting of what the Queen (and potentially others) wore + the exact dinner menu this special, exclusive group ate. Tidbits that may be deemed of high enough importance to be injected multiple times in every chapter by keen Royalty-watchers and Anglophiles, but it got old to me.

All said, a quick, relatively interesting read on a woman who, regardless of your opinion on the monarchy, was a dominant, interesting, and constant public figure of the 20th and 21st centuries. Nothing groundbreaking or particularly thought-provoking brought to the table.

It does, however, nicely summarize numerous public sentiments on life, international relations, and diplomacy that would be well remembered jointly by politicians, diplomats, and electorates/us 'commoners' today. But a couple key ones:

"Grief is the price we pay for love..." - From her post-9/11 remarks to America
"What leaders do for their people today is government and politics, but what they do for the people of tomorrow -- that is statemanship." - From her toast to US/UK relations at a dinner with Trump, right after stressing the importance (and historical success) of alliances and relationships such as NATO.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes life of the Queen. It provides a well-written and emotional account of an audience with the Queen, with detailed stories about each resident of the White House. I found myself crying during every chapter, as the book truly captures the silent side of the Queen.

[Anthony Millspaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet exploration of the “ Special Relationship” between the US & UK from the Birds Eye view of 1 monarch and 13 Presidents.

[Kris Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you grew up in these times

[Maine Colonial · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a free advance digital review copy provided by the US publisher via NetGalley.

Charter takes the reader chapter by chapter through Queen Elizabeth II’s encounters and communications with the 13 American presidents who took office during her reign. As part of each chapter, he describes the political and historical events of the time, and the state of the so-called special relationship between the US and UK. Then, the anecdotes.

The anecdotes are interesting and often funny, but Charter’s writing of background and context for these anecdotes tends to be on the dry and didactic side, and the texts of the formal pronouncements issued by each side about these meetings are often dully formal. I am an avid reader of history, and this book is of interest when it describes the Queen’s diplomatic role in times of strain, but I couldn’t help feeling that Charter is less skilled than many writers at making history feel relevant and engaging.

[Dickie Arbiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her 70 year reign, Queen Elizabeth II met 13 American Presidents from Truman to Biden. She was a master of soft diplomacy and when it looked like - what wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill called - 'The Special relationship was going off the rails, the late Queen smoothed it back on the tracks. Every president she met was smitten by Elizabeth, through her charm and knowledge of UK and world affairs and left her presence wanting to know when next they would meet her. David Charter has captured with remarkable woman and her relationship with America and their President. I was one of her spokesmen for many years and can attest, how with little effort, she made them feel special in the royal presence. Many books have been written about the late Queen Elizabeth II, but none so detailed and riveting s
as Royal Audience: 70 Years, 13 Presidents - One Queen's Special Relationship with America. I recommend it as a 'very' good read and worthy of a place on any bookshelf

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this view of Queen Elizabeth II's relationships with various US presidents from Truman to Biden. Each one had special connections and interactions with her. It was interesting to see how her relationships with them developed and changed over time. Of course, QE2 seemed to have an incredibly close relationship with the Reagans, and this is fully explored. Not only does the book discuss the various visits of the Queen and the presidents between their two countries, the visits of senior royals are also covered.

This was truly a well-done book exploring an integral part of the "Special Relationship" between the USA and the UK. Recommended!

[Allyson Harringay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book earlier this while browsing in a bookstore. I'm a fan of the Queen so I must admit that it was the gorgeous photo on the cover that caught my eye more than anything. Initially, I flipped through to read about the presidents that I liked but after being gripped by the Kennedy chapter and laughing until I had tears in my eyes after the Carter chapter, I HAD to finish the entire thing. I can honestly say not only did I learn a bit of history but my love and admiration for the queen has only increased as a result. I simply loved this book!

[Erin Grigson Baylis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great explanation of the relationship of the Queen and the MANY presidents she lived to meet and work with.
It wasn't the most enthralling book, but I did learn lots and really appreciated the thought put into compiling all the information as well as how it was told.
8/10 this is a great book for fans of the royals and also modern history buffs.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a world-wide "royal watcher" for years. I've read many books about the royal family. I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It gives an intimate insight to the queen's relationship with America.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

During her public service, first as princess and then ask Queen, Elizabeth, dealt with 13 US presidents. This book goes into her meetings with all of those presidents, and how she was able to contribute to the special relationship between Great Britain and the United States.

[Evan Whitlock · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Learned lots of new things about the Queen and presidents. She was such a special lady.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice read about the late Queen and her interactions with American presidents, particularly Ron Reagan. Easy, informative, enjoyable.

[Gina Schade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stories about the interaction between Queen Elizabeth II and the presidents who served during her reign.

[Renee Berkowitz]

There will never be someone like the Queen ever again <3

[Carol Cleary-Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about the Queen's relationship with American presidents during her lifetime.

[Kenny Schwarz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book on Queen Elizabeth and her interaction with 13 US presidents further highlighting the special relationship between our two countries (even through many difficult personalities). The fact that Elizabeth was Head of State and interacted with Presidents Truman-Biden made for a wealth of historical anecdotes that the author describes extremely well in this book. I truly loved it and highly recommend this book to anglophiles, and those who love history. Very well done.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading pretty much anything about the British royal family and this book has such an interesting perspective. Incredible history in the sheer number of American presidents that she met. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this recounting of Queen Elizabeth II’s relationship with several American presidents, David Charter explores the “Special Relationship” between England and the United States starting with George VI and the Queen Mother in the 1930s. Containing both the American and the English perspectives, Charter explores the late Queen’s interactions with presidents from Eisenhower and Truman to Trump and Biden in the last years of her reign. Charter includes anecdotes about various state and informal visits by both parties as well as quotes from interviews and official statements. Covering the Queen’s 70-year reign, Charter explains her relationships with several presidents and her role in preserving the Anglo-American friendship and alliance in the postwar world. Charter’s prose is simple and clear, and he supplements his book with quotes, photos, and other documents relating to the Queen and the American presidents of note. This collation of American-British leadership friendliness presents a holistic picture of this dynamic for readers interested in a below-surface-level exploration and analysis of the topic. Good for adult readers of all ages, this is a fascinating book with great insights into the political and personal friendships between the American presidents and the late Queen Elizabeth II over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Thanks to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advance copy.