- When former US President Clinton visited Britain in 1997, Queen Elizabeth II invited him to have tea.
- But recently declassified documents showed that he refused and wanted to go to an Indian restaurant.
- He eventually went to a French restaurant with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
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The newly declassified documents stated that Bill Clinton refused to drink tea with Queen Elizabeth II when he visited the UK in 1997 because he wanted to go to an Indian restaurant.
Clinton visited the UK for the first time in 1997 and met with the newly elected Tony Blair for the first time. The Guardian cites declassified documents to report.
Clinton had met the queen before.
Buckingham Palace wrote to Blair staff and pointed out that according to documents from the British National Archives, “Her Majesty the Queen would be very happy” to invite the Clintons to drink tea.
According to the Guardian, a briefing response stated that Clinton “stated that he wanted to be a tourist” and “expressed an interest in trying Indian cuisine.”
Blair’s personal secretary, Philip Barton, later said that the Clintons “hope to politely reject” the royal family’s proposal. He also stated that they were not interested in having dinner at Chequers, the prime minister’s country house.
Clinton ultimately did not get Indians. The Guardian pointed out: Clinton and Blair went to a French restaurant.
