Presidential memoirs often deal with great matters of state and historic events that have influenced countries, continents and even the world. However Jimmy Carter, who has died at the age of 100, felt compelled to dedicate part of his reminiscences to a kiss that happened at Buckingham Palace.
Writing of the moment years later, the 39th President of the United States, described the event as a ”light gesture” but at the time, heavy weather was made of it. In fact, the US leader found himself at the centre of a royal row that refused to go away.
It had all started rather well. In May 1977, just months after his inauguration, President Carter made an official visit to the UK and was welcomed to Buckingham Palace for a gala evening with the Royal Family. So far, so very ordinary. But in the hours and days that followed, President Carter found himself at the centre of a strange story.
It was reported that Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, then 76, had been left shocked after the US leader kissed her on the lips at the end of the evening. She is said to have remarked that ”nobody has done that since my husband died”. In the famous words of Queen Victoria, she was not amused.
However, President Carter had a different story. Years later, he wrote in his memoir ”A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety” that he had given the Queen Mother a kiss on the cheek at the end of the evening, describing it as a ”light gesture” and added that he didn’t regret it. That was despite a newspaper furore over whether a US President had kissed a one time empress.
Relations between Jimmy Carter and the Royal Family remained strong, with his humanitarian work after he left the White House drawing admiration around the world. He was recognised with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. When Queen Elizabeth II died, in 2022, Jimmy Carter praised her leadership.
On the announcement of President Carter’s death, King Charles III said ”his dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many”.
And whatever happened at Buckingham Palace that evening, the royals have clearly put it behind them as The King also noted ”I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977′.
President Jimmy Carter, 1924 – 2024
