The United Kingdom, known for its pomp and circumstance, reserves one of its highest honors for foreign leaders in the form of a state visit. The late Queen Elizabeth II hosted about 112 state visits in Britain during her reign from 1952 to 2022. While several U.S. presidents have been guests of the royal family, only a few were accorded full state visit honors. American presidents bestowed with the honor include George W. Bush in 2003, Barack Obama in 2011 and Donald Trump in 2019 and 2025.
Other presidents, from Woodrow Wilson to John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan, have been welcomed as honored guests at Buckingham Palace. Regardless of the status of the visit, the British monarch has offered elaborate and warm welcomes to American presidents. This is in line with what Prime Minister Winston Churchill described in 1946 as "a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States.”
See photos of the British monarchy welcoming U.S. presidents over the decades.
