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British Royals

The Queen poses for historic photo as she welcomes world leaders to Buckingham Palace

By
3rd December 2019

Presidents and Prime Ministers joined Princes and Princesses as the Queen hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark 70 years since the formation of NATO. Representatives of the organisation’s member states joined the Queen and her family at the special event and posed for a photo for the history books in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace.

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The Queen was joined by leaders of the 29 countries that currently belong to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation for an official portrait. Her Majesty took centre stage with Boris Johnson on one side and NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, on the other. The Prince of Wales sat with US President, Donald Trump, for the photo.

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During the evening, Charles also helped his mother officially welcome world leaders to the Palace. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall joined the Queen for the formal introductions while other members of the Royal Family, including the Duchess of Cambridge, the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, mingled with guests at the reception.

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NATO leaders are in the UK ahead of the organisation’s summit which takes place on December 4th. However, the meeting has also been an opportunity to celebrate the group’s 70th anniversary. It was set up in 1949 as a defence alliance and originally consisted of twelve countries. In the seven decades since, it has expanded with member states committing to defend each other in the event of external attack.

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The Buckingham Palace reception came after a day of meetings between politicians attending the summit. President Trump and his wife, Melania, also visited Clarence House where they had tea with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

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About author

Lydia Starbuck is Editor in Chief at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.