It was something of a do-over for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as they exchanged gifts Tuesday with Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip.
During a U.K. visit two years ago, the president caused a bit of a stir by presenting the queen with a very modern gift: a preloaded iPod containing photographs and video of her 2007 U.S. visit.
This time, the Obamas opted to give the queen an old-fashioned gift: a collection of photographs and memorabilia from her parents? 1939 visit to the U.S.
According to the White House, the handmade, leather album was of ?historic and personal value,? chronicling the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth?the first U.S. visit by a reigning British monarch.
Prince Philip, a big fan of equestrian sports, received ?a custom-made set of Fell Pony bits and shanks? engraved with the presidential seal, along with?horseshoes worn by carriage horse Jamaica, the 2008 United States Equestrian Federation Horse of the Year.
For Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Obamas brought jars of honey from the White House beehive, along with plants, seedlings and seeds from gardens at Mount Vernon, Monticello and Mrs. Obama?s garden at the White House. The gifts were packaged in a box crafted from the wood of a magnolia tree brought down by the big snowstorm in 2009. Prince Charles is a strong proponent of organic, small-scale and sustainable agriculture.
For the royal newlyweds, Prince?William and his wife, Catherine, the White House said Mr. and Mrs. Obama donated six MacBook computers to the Northern Ireland chapter of PeacePlayers International, one of the charities the couple chose for gifts in honor of their marriage.
The staff at Buckingham Palace said the Obamas received facsimiles of letters from the Royal Archives ? correspondence between Queen Victoria and a few U.S. presidents, including John Quincy Adams and William McKinley, as well as Mary Todd Lincoln on the death of Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. Obama also received an antique broach of roses with gold stems and red coral flowers.
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