During his first state visit to Great Britain, the former US President Bill Clinton wanted to “be a tourist” – and therefore turned down an invitation from the Queen. He also apparently canceled a dinner with the then Prime Minister.
Former US President Bill Clinton According to old records, during his first state visit to London in 1997 he refused tea at the Queen’s house in order to be able to “be a tourist” instead. According to a Tuesday from documents in the National Archives that were previously classified as confidential. “He said he wanted to be a tourist,” read an old note from Downing Street about Clinton.
The Clintons “politely declined” the invitation, “very grateful for Her Majesty’s invitation,” as a secretary to British Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote in writing. Instead of having dinner at Blair’s country estate in Checkers, Clinton also preferred to try Indian food in the metropolis.
Suggestion: a “look in the pub (the Americans like them)”
Ultimately, however, the married couples Clinton and Blair dined in a French restaurant near Tower Bridge, according to old calculations. The bill at “Le Pont de la Tour” was 298.86 British pounds for both couples, and the meal included grilled sole, halibut, wild salmon and rabbit.
The records also show that the United States and Britain agreed “to present the President and Prime Minister to the world as young, dynamic and serious leaders.” The Americans were therefore interested in a “fun” and “photogenic” outdoor event.
Among the proposals of the Foreign Office – which were rejected – would have included a music session at lunchtime in which “the President (saxophone) and the Prime Minister (guitar) play briefly together (with or without other musicians)”. Another suggestion was “a look in the pub (the Americans like them)”. A “stroll in Trafalgar Square” before a visit to a sports café, where Clinton and Blair “could be shown various sophisticated computer games by a group of children,” was also up for debate – but was rejected by the White House. Reason: “not serious enough”.
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