‘May the light of her crown reign supreme!’ Barack Obama pays heartfelt tribute to Queen

The Queen is celebrating 70 years on the throne this weekend, and tributes from celebrities and officials from around the world have been pouring in. While Kirsty Young presented the BBC’s coverage of Her Majesty’s Trooping of the Colour birthday celebration, Barack Obama has recalled his several meetings with the royals in a special Platinum Jubilee tribute.

President Obama revealed the Queen was one of the most “remarkable” people he had ever met in his Jubilee tribute.

“When you’re President of the United States, you meet a lot of remarkable people,” he told viewers. “And you try under all circumstances to retain your composure.

“But that’s harder than you think when you’re visiting Her Majesty.”

The 44th US president recalled his first trip to Buckingham Palace in 2009 when he met the Queen and her husband Prince Philip for the first time.

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Obama continued: “Before I took office, Michelle and I hadn’t been to too many palaces.

“So, we weren’t sure what to expect on our first trip to Buckingham [Palace]. But we shouldn’t have been worried.”

The BBC broadcast played footage of the former president and his wife Michelle shaking hands with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh alongside his message.

“Her Majesty put us at ease with her grace and generosity,” he recalled.

“And I learned so much from seeing the example she set for all of us who have the privilege to serve.”

Addressing the Queen directly, he added: “Your Majesty, it would be an understatement to say the world has changed a bit in the seven decades since you first came to power.

“But your character never has. Your steadfast stewardship of one of our most important democracies has made the world safer and more prosperous through war and peace, times of adversity, and times of prosperity.

“Your life has been a gift, not just to the United Kingdom, but for the world.”

source: express.co.uk