It took King Charles over seven decades to become monarch, but only ten years to meet his first U.S. president: Dwight D. Eisenhower. Queen Elizabeth's eldest child was ten at the time, when the 34th President of the United States visited Balmoral Castle in 1959.
"The Queen would have been very keen for [Charles] to meet Eisenhower because he is really iconic for the Queen, [with regards to] the importance of Britain staying close to America, [and] because of the way that Eisenhower led the wartime effort that she saw firsthand," David Charter, author of Royal Audience: 70 Years, 13 Presidents — One Queen's Special Relationship with America, tells HELLO!.
"Bear in mind, these were her formative years when she trained as an army technician. She wore the uniform briefly towards the end of the war, and she saw even family members go to war against Nazism. And the contribution of America and the G.I.s, it was something she never forgot," David notes.
In 1945, then-Princess Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), making her the first female member of the royal family to join the Armed Services as a full-time active member. Three years earlier, in 1942, she met Eisenhower, then a general, during his visit to Windsor Castle, per the Dwight D. Eisenhower Society.
© Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesA favourite President
When it comes to the 13 sitting U.S. Presidents that Queen Elizabeth met with, David observes, "You can always tell when there's a favorite or a preferred contact or guest of the Queen's because they stay in touch and the wider family gets a sort of special treatment". Among them, Eisenhower was the sole one to receive a special invitation.
"When he was General Eisenhower, he was in charge of the D-Day landings in 1944 when the G.I.s and the British and Canadian troops and some European troops as well, reinvaded the continent of Europe, turned the tide against Nazism and began to retake Europe. And it was a turning point in the Second World War, and it was overseen by Eisenhower and Elizabeth never forgot this throughout her whole life, and you can tell that she enjoyed his company because she invited him to Balmoral Castle," David says. "He's the only president who was ever invited to that family retreat in Scotland of the royal family."
"He got invited there, and she took him on a picnic. She made him scones and shared the recipe with him. They had quite an informal relationship," David adds.
Balmoral was a special place for the late Queen. Her granddaughter Princess Eugenie has said in the past that she believes her "Granny" was "the most happy there." It was during Eisenhower's visit to Balmoral that Charles met the American president, whom the late Queen "had a fondness for," according to the White House Historical Association.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesSince his first encounter with President Eisenhower, King Charles has gone on to meet with various U.S. Presidents, including President Ronald Reagan, President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. Under his reign, the monarch has met with two: President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.
"[Charles has] been trained his whole life to be a professional diplomat, to represent his country and also he's a very affable chap who's great company," David says. "He's got a great sense of humor and is a great conversationalist, and he really seemed to get on very well with President Trump, who's really looking forward to the return state visit this time of the King and Queen at the end of the month."
