State Visit by the President of the United States of America

THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN

The President of the United States has accepted an invitation from The Queen to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from Wednesday 19th November to Friday 21st November 2003.

The President will be accompanied by Mrs Bush and will stay at Buckingham Palace.

Background

Previous visits by American Presidents include:

President and Mrs Kennedy dined with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in June 1961;

President Nixon had lunch with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in February 1969;

President and Mrs Reagan made an official visit to the UK in June 1982, staying at Windsor Castle;

President and Mrs Bush had lunch with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh in June 1989;

President and Mrs Clinton visited The Queen in December 2000;

President Bush and Mrs Bush had lunch with The Queen on 19th July 2001 at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have made three State Visits to the USA: in October 1957 (President Eisenhower), in July 1976 for the US Bicentennial (President Ford), and in May 1991 (President Bush).

Her Majesty and His Royal Highness also made an official visit to the West Coast of America in February/March 1983.