President George Bush and his wife Laura received the full, red carpet treatment at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, before the US president was treated to a guided tour of the Queen's gallery by his royal host.
Although the First Couple had flown in on Airforce One the day before and spent the night at the Palace, the official start to ceremonies didn’t take place until Wednesday morning. And from the first moment, pomp and circumstance were obviously the order of the day.
Pulling up outside the Palace in the heavily-armoured presidential Cadillac, the couple strolled down a red carpet to greet the awaiting monarch and her husband Prince Philip. A rendition of The Star Spangled Banner - during which Mr Bush and his wife both stood with hands on hearts - was followed by a 41-gun salute. The US president then escorted the Duke of Edinburgh for an inspection of the Guard.
As the state visit got underway it was announced that Buckingham Palace is to launch an enquiry into how a reporter using fake references was able to land a job there as a footman. The post gave him access to the very heart of the royal accommodations and rooms to be used by the presidential party.
"Had I been a terrorist intent on assassinating the Queen or American president George Bush, I could have done so with absolute ease," wrote Mirror journalist Ryan Parry, after quitting his footman position in order not to "compromise any ongoing security" during Mr Bush's visit.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
