NEWSQueen Elizabeth Forced Barack Obama to Go to Bed During 2011 State Dinner
Queen Elizabeth II refused to allow Barack Obama to overstay his welcome.
Aug. 30 2025, Published 6:16 p.m. ET
Queen Elizabeth II used her power to force Barack Obama to go to bed around midnight during the 2011 state dinner at London’s Buckingham Palace.
In recollections from Valentine Low’s book Power and the Palace, due to be released on September 11, the author cited a story from former Chancellor George Osborne, who revealed the comical task Elizabeth asked of him during the dinner.
'Will You Tell President Obama It's Time to Go to Bed?'
Queen Elizabeth II had to force Barack Obama to go to bed during his state visit in 2011.
“George Osborne attended the Buckingham Palace banquet for the state visit by U.S. president Barack Obama in 2011,” Low explained. “Towards the end of the evening, with everyone still enjoying themselves after dinner, the Queen came up to him and said, ‘Will you tell President Obama it’s time to go to bed?’”
Low continued, “Osborne recalls, ‘I could see Obama surrounded by this big crowd. Am I supposed to go and tell him to go to bed?’”
'We Are Handling the Situation'
Queen Elizabeth II had her private secretary handle Barack Obama at the end of the night.
The author noted how Christopher Geidt, Elizabeth’s private secretary, stepped in to handle the end-of-the-night scatter, telling Osborne, “‘We are handling the situation.’”
Low included a snippet of Osborne’s opinion of the late queen, where the former chancellor explained how Elizabeth’s cheekiness never failed to amaze him.
“‘I was constantly astonished by how candid she was and that none of this ever came out. She’d be very forthright in telling you what she thought of individuals, including members of her own family, and what she thought about things going on in the country,’” the author quoted Osborne saying.
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Donald and Melania Trump to Have State Visit in September
Donald and Melania Trump will have a state visit in September.
While Elizabeth and her witty one-liners won’t be in attendance at the next state visit later this year, King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla Parker Bowles, will be hosting President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
Donald and Melania Trump Invited by Queen Elizabeth II for State Visit in 2019
Donald and Melania Trump had their first state visit in 2019.
In July, Buckingham Palace announced their plans to host the political couple at Windsor Castle, saying, “The President of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump, accompanied by the First Lady Mrs. Melania Trump, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from 17 September to 19 September 2025.”
The 47th president and his wife were invited by Elizabeth to their first state visit in June 2019 during his first administration. The banquet was hosted at Buckingham Palace.
