Queen Elizabeth IIis among the leadersmourningGeorge H.W. Bushafter the former presidentdied at age 94 on Friday.
“It was with sadness that I learned of the death of President George H W Bush last night,” the Queen, 92,said in a statementon Saturday.
“President Bush was a great friend and ally of the United Kingdom. He was also a patriot, serving his country with honour and distinction in Office and during the Second World War,” she continued.
“Prince Philipand I remember our days in Texas in 1991 with great fondness,” the Queen concluded. “My thoughts and prayers are with President Bush’s family and the American people.”
Anwar Hussein/Getty Images
The Queen also joined Bush at an Orioles game in Baltimore,The Baltimore Sunreported.
During the 1991 visit, she shared a memorable conversation withGeorge W. Bush, according toThe Washington Post. She asked the future president, who was wearing boots emblazoned with the words “God Save the Queen,” if he was the black sheep of the Bush family.
“I guess so,” he replied.
RELATED VIDEO: A Memorial Grows Outside The Home Of President George H.W. Bush
In 1993, the Queen knighted the senior Bush at Buckingham Palace. He did not need to kneel before the Queen since he was an American citizen, according to anAssociated Press reportat the time.
The Queen’s connection with Bush went deeper: In the 1980s, genealogists determined that Bush and the Queen were 13th cousins,The New York Timesreported.
Tim Graham/Getty Images
The Queenhas met every presidentsince Harry Truman other thanLyndon Johnson, according toThe New York Times.
She met Truman when she was still a princess andwent on to schmooze withDwight Eisenhower,John F. Kennedy,Richard Nixon,Gerald Ford,Jimmy Carter,Ronald Reagan, the elder Bush,Bill Clinton, the younger Bush,Barack ObamaandDonald Trumpover the decades of her reign.
source: people.com
