The Queen 's subtle gesture to Michelle Obama after she expressed 'concerns' over the gift she bought the late monarch was been remembered by former US president Barack Obama. He posted a video to Twitter yesterday, the day of Her Majesty's funeral, where he recalled one of his meetings with the Queen.
He explained how his wife had bought a gift for Queen Elizabeth II but was afterwards worried she'd bought the wrong thing, fearing that she may take it as an insult. But, Barack remembered, the Queen wore the gift the very next day and put Michelle's fears completely to bed.
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In a video posted to Twitter, Mr Obama said the first time he met the Queen she reminded him of his grandmother, when she "could not have been more kind or thoughtful" to him and his wife, Michelle.
"Which surprised me not just in appearance but also in manner… (she was) very gracious but also no-nonsense, (with a) wry sense of humour," he said.
On another occasion Mr Obama described, his wife and two daughters were invited to tea at Buckingham Palace and later driven in the Queen's golden carriage around the grounds – a moment that he said "left a mark in my daughters' lives that's still there".
In another meeting, a state dinner in 2011 at Buckingham Palace, Mr Obama said the Queen was "dressed up quite a bit" which was concerning for Mrs Obama who had selected a "small, modest broach" of "nominal value" as a gift for the Queen.
However the following evening at a dinner at the US Embassy the Queen was wearing the then First Lady's broach, in a moment Mr Obama said "was an example of the subtle thoughtfulness that she consistently displayed, not just to us but to everybody she interacted with".
"The combination of a sense of duty and a clear understanding of her role as a symbol for her nation and as the carrier of a certain set of values, combined with a very human quality of kindness and consideration I think that's what made her so beloved not just in Great Britain but around the world," Mr Obama concluded.
