Obama Gives Queen Elizabeth An iPod

President Obama gave Queen Elizabeth an iPod during their private meeting at Buckingham Palace, the BBC reports. "It contains footage of her state visit to the US in May 2007. The Queen has given the president a silver framed photograph of herself and her husband. The official picture is what she gives all visiting dignitaries."

The gift exchange was closely watched, the Wall Street Journal reports, "ever since the British press took high exception to the modest presents the Obamas gave Gordon Brown and wife on their visit to the White House last month: a box set of DVDs, allegedly in the wrong format, and a couple of models of Marine One for the Brown boys."

A slideshow of the Obamas meeting with the Queen:

• • • • • • The Obamas pose with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

And video:

Read all about the G-20 summit and Obama's European trip at HuffPost's G-20 BigNews page.

Comments

[Verified]

01:21 PM on 04/07/2009

I think the iPod's full of show tunes is a wonderful gift. Something to carry around in that little handbag.

[Colloquielle]

06:56 AM on 04/03/2009

Y'know, I don't think our press was "outraged" at the DVD mixup so much as hugely amused - to be honest, most DVD players here are multiregion anyway, so if our Prime Minister couldn't get them to work then he either hasn't unlocked it or has an incredibly tacky DVD player. Maybe he needs to find a handy eight year old to reprogram it.

I don't get the palaver over gifts, either - the photo of the Queen with Prince Philip might be something she gives to all visiting dignitaries, but that's still something you can't buy anywhere, not unlike the Seal of the President. And the iPod loaded with footage of her state visit was a nice touch. It seems to me that everyone EXCEPT the recipients of these gifts is up in arms over the content, but I doubt that either the Obamas or the Royal Family have given any of it a second thought. It's not like it's Christmas morning and they're all six years old - how about a bit of focus on the content of their meetings? From the coverage we had here at the time, I believe the Queen was pleased that Obama won in November and I bet they had some fascinating conversations about how things have been going since he took office.

[Yatata]

11:05 PM on 04/02/2009

This puts such a big grin on my face. Elizabeth and Philip are exactly like my grandparents. It's like watching the Obamas meet my family... if they happened to live in a slightly more expensive house.... hahaha

[suemag]

07:43 PM on 04/02/2009

Where's the poll?

[mustangmaddi]

05:15 PM on 04/02/2009

We have to be open to the intent of the gift and not the monetary value. This is an inherent problem in the world today.. we are all too concerned with the bottom line. We should commend the Obamas on the fact that they gave what they thought would be enjoyed by the Queen. It was a very thoughtful gift. Let's face it, the Queen can buy anything she wants, so the monetary value is really not a factor. I'm so proud that Barack and MIchelle Obama are our President and First Lady! My expectations of our own leadership has greatly improved and at this point the Obamas have not let me down!

[Gumby123]

05:48 PM on 04/02/2009

I'm sure you'd say the same thing if Obama gave the queen a pack of cigarettes as a gift.

[gobeavs]

06:55 PM on 04/02/2009

Hey he smokes it could happen :o)
that was one of the funniest thing I have read today

[anelder]

06:57 PM on 04/02/2009

not if she didn't smoke. Gumby your a Grump

[Margo Arrowsmith]

05:12 PM on 04/02/2009

And the Queen gave them a frame with a picture of her and Phillip. lol Does anyone really think that want a picture of her? All in all their gift was thoughtful and showed that they gave thought to the Queen. She just gave them someone about herself, something she probably gives everyone.

[breathestolive]

04:26 PM on 04/02/2009

In addition to the iPod--loaded with show tunes, since the Queen is a fan--they gave her a signed copy of Richard Rodgers' (of Rodgers and Hammerstein) music. I would say that's a darned nice, and very appropriate, gift.

[Gumby123]

05:11 PM on 04/02/2009

I think the DVDs given to the Prime Minister was a class act too.

[KillTheTV]

04:17 PM on 04/02/2009

I'm going to completely defend Obama on this one for reasons such as this.... Someone gives me an iPod as a gift. I'm like "hey cool you know I'm an Apple fanatic and this is something really useful". On the other hand, someone gives me a family photo as a gift and I'm like "oh hey how thoughtful! I'll put this where everyone can see it!". Then I get home and load up the iPod while the family photo gets tossed in the bottom of a drawer and becomes an even more useless gift. I don't know..... maybe I just don't understand why I should respect hereditary monarchs.

[Gumby123]

05:11 PM on 04/02/2009

How much longer would a gift such as a 'bronze statuette' last versus an ipod?

[Factbeacon]

04:06 PM on 04/02/2009

She already has one... So yeah, to our greatest ally, President Obama couldn't even muster more than 150 dollars. What a seriously lame gift. Of all the gifts given over the course of our presidency in the US, that actually is the worst gift. Also the DVD box set was worth 15 dollars, what an airhead.

[breathestolive]

04:27 PM on 04/02/2009

You should rename yourself "Misinformationbeacon".

[sodium]

10:26 PM on 04/02/2009

Or even better : "FoxBacon"..;p)

[Ariane]

04:36 PM on 04/11/2009

Newsflash fatbacon: It was the footage in the ipod that was the point; the ipod was the container.
And do you think someone as rich and as old as the Queen is sulking that she didn't get a more expensive toy, like some 13 year old suburban brat? You, however, do seem oddly fixated on prices and yet you can't even get it vaguely right in the case of the box set -- However, that one WAS an idiotic gift . especially compared to the one Brown gave. Someone on the staff really messed up.

[Gumby123]

03:38 PM on 04/02/2009

I believe Obama's teleprompter has recommended a $50.00 give card from Target to China's prime minister.

[Hedonist88]

03:57 PM on 04/02/2009

Palin supporters on the loose i see....

[Gumby123]

05:10 PM on 04/02/2009

Obama worshippers on the loose I see....

[Oxfarm]

03:33 PM on 04/02/2009

iPod is no small thing to the Brits. Jonathan Ive has been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his design work.

[Ohsnap]

03:19 PM on 04/02/2009

It even says in the article, and I forget.

[Ohsnap]

03:19 PM on 04/02/2009

They were saving their good gift for the person with the real power. Heheh. I don't even know the Prime Ministers first name.

[goodgravy]

03:12 PM on 04/02/2009

at some point you have to ask yourself what do you give a woman who has 15 castles, one of the largest private jewel and art collections in the world, a staff of hundreds and who has been receiving these kinds of gifts from heads of state and dignitaries for the past 57 years. kinda hard to be original i'd say.

[DarwinAtWork]

03:04 PM on 04/02/2009

Also, note to self: Don't touch Queen, or grab queen's butt

[anelder]

07:05 PM on 04/02/2009

Note back, Queen put her arm around Michelle first, see the picture. Michelle returned the gesture.
Additional note, anatomy not your strong point? Picture clearly shows butt not touched.