Icons who met the Queen – from Mandela and Mother Teresa to the Spice Girls

Entertainment

During more than 70 years on the throne, the Queen met many of the most famous people on the planet.

She rubbed shoulders with the biggest stars in Hollywood at film premieres and had state visits from the most powerful politicians in the world.

From Frank Sinatra to Nelson Mandela and the Spice Girls to Mother Teresa, here are some of the other well-known figures to have met the monarch.

Marilyn Monroe – 1956

The Queen was just a few weeks older than Marilyn Monroe when they met in London three years after the Coronation.

Monroe shook Her Majesty’s hand as she greeted stars at the Royal Film performance of The Battle of the River Plate at the Empire Theatre in Leicester Square.

Monroe died from an overdose in Los Angeles, California, six years later.

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Brigitte Bardot – 1956

On the same October evening, the Queen also met the French actress and singer Brigitte Bardot.

Bardot made sure she was dressed appropriately, with elbow-length gloves and a satin ball gown.

Sophia Loren – 1957

The following year at the Royal Film performance of Les Girls at the Odeon in Leicester Square the Queen met the Italian actress Sophia Loren.

It was the year Loren starred in The Pride and The Passion.

Frank Sinatra – 1958

Sinatra met the Queen at the height of his fame in 1958 at the Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square at the premiere of Me and the Colonel, a Danny Kaye film.

They met again in 1983 at 20th Century Fox’s studios.

John F Kennedy – 1961

The US president and his wife Jackie were given a dinner at Buckingham Palace in June 1961.

There were thought to be tensions between Mrs Kennedy and the Queen, and reports claimed that the First Lady was “unimpressed by the palace furnishings, the Queen’s dress and her hairstyle.”

They would have been given a state visit later but President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. The Queen met Jackie again when they unveiled a memorial to him at Runnymede

The Beatles -1965

The Beatles first encountered the Queen in 1963 when they played the Royal Variety Performance.

They told the crowd: “The people in the cheaper seats, clap your hands… and the rest of you, if you’d just rattle your jewellery.”

Luckily for them, the Queen found the joke funny and the band were awarded OBEs two years later.

Barbra Streisand – 1975

American actress Barbra Streisand wore a striking lavender hooded cape to meet the Queen at the premiere of Funny Lady in London in 1975.

Elizabeth Taylor – 1976

Elizabeth Taylor and her husband John Warner met the Queen at a charity gala in Washington four years after she soared to stardom in Anthony and Cleopatra.

The pair were noted for wearing the same colour dress.

Mother Teresa – 1983

The Queen met Mother Teresa in Delhi on her 1983 tour of India.

The monarch always expressed the deepest of respect for her work and referred to her acts of selflessness in several of her speeches.

Princess Diana went on to meet Mother Teresa several times.

Sir Cliff Richard – 1995

Sir Cliff met the Queen several times and was a friend of Princess Diana’s.

He wore a striking gold blazer to meet Her Majesty at the Royal Variety Performance in London.

The Spice Girls – 1997

At the height of their international fame, the Spice Girls met the Queen after the Royal Variety Performance at Victoria Palace Theatre in London.

Many noted their daring outfits for such a formal occasion.

Madonna – 2002

The Queen of Pop met Her Majesty in 2002 at the London premiere of the Bond film Die Another Day at the Royal Albert Hall.

Nelson Mandela – 2003

Mandela visited London in 2003 and was given a reception at Buckingham Palace.

The pair met through Mandela’s involvement with the Rhodes Trust, which provided scholarships for overseas students to study at Oxford.

Sir Elton John – 2008

Elton was knighted by the Queen for services to music in 1998. The previous year he sang at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.

He met the Queen again backstage at her Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2012 at which he performed.

Barack Obama – 2009

President Obama travelled to the UK for the first time in 2009 and then again in 2011.

He and his wife Michelle were hosted by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace on both occasions.

Mrs Obama broke protocol by trying to give the Queen a hug, which she later said was because the pair had been talking about uncomfortable shoes.

Lady Gaga – 2009

Pop royalty Lady Gaga met the Queen after her Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool in 2009.

Gaga wore a latex Elizabethan-style dress and red glitter eye make-up.

Yoko Ono – 2011

Ono met the Queen years after her husband John Lennon was shot dead in America.

They met at the National Museum of Liverpool during a royal visit to Merseyside.

Angelina Jolie – 2014

Jolie was given an honorary damehood for her aid work and her campaign to stop sexual violence in war-torn countries.

David Beckham – 2015

David Beckham first met the Queen in 2003 when he was given an OBE shortly after Manchester United won the league.

His wife Victoria was given hers 14 years later by Prince William for services to the fashion industry.

David met the Queen in 2015 at a Buckingham Palace reception for the Queen’s Young Leaders programme.

Donald Trump – 2019

Trump and his wife Melania were hosted by the Queen and Prince Philip during their 2019 state visit.

He also attended D-Day commemorations in Portsmouth. Trump was fond of the Queen and said that she was an “amazing person”.

David Attenborough – 2019

Sir David Attenborough was friends with the Queen for over half a century, and was knighted twice, for services to television and conservation.

In 2016, Sir David spoke at a service at St Paul’s to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday, and in 2019, the Queen – who was just a few weeks older than Attenborough – presented him with the Chatham House Prize.

Sir David produced the Queen’s Christmas addresses for more than five years in the 1980s and 1990s, and reportedly even helped chose the outfits she would wear for them.

Joe Biden – 2021

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill met the Queen at Windsor Castle last year after the G7 summit in Cornwall.

Their visit included a Guard of Honour and tea at the castle.

Bill Gates – 2021

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates met the Queen at Windsor Castle after the Global Investment Summit last year at a dinner to showcase the best of British innovation.

When he heard of her death Gates wrote on Twitter: “I feel honoured to have met HM Queen Elizabeth, and I am very sad to hear of her passing.”