King Charles paid tribute to Jimmy Carter following his death on December 29 at the age of 100. The celebrated former president was beloved by people worldwide, many of whom paid their respects online once news of his death broke. But rumors regarding Carter's 1977 visit to Buckingham Palace also resurfaced, with many wondering what really happened when the politician met the Queen Mother.
Carter traveled to the United Kingdom in May 1977, where he joined a group of NATO leaders for dinner at Buckingham Palace, via People. Hosted by Queen Elizabeth II, Carter came face to face with royalty, which included meeting the now-King Charles, Prince Philip, and the Queen Mother. The event marked Carter's very first trip overseas as President of the United States.
Reports regarding Carter's meeting with the Queen Mother appear to vary greatly. According to the Associated Press, Carter eagerly greeted the Queen Mother when she entered the room. "Ever the Southern gentleman, Carter broke away, took her by the hand and escorted her to the assembled line of guests," the outlet reported. "The no-frills Georgia peanut farmer-turned-president ate chicken mousse off a gold plate and seemed excited by his dinner seating between the Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret, and across from her son, Prince Charles, Prince Philip, and the Queen Mother."
This version of events appears to be corroborated by a photograph of Carter holding hands with the Queen Mother as they stand in a line with other guests and members of the British Royal Family.
Biographer William Shawcross shared a very different version of events in his 2009 book, Queen Elizabeth: The Queen Mother: The Official Biography. According to Shawcross, the Queen Mother wrote in a letter about receiving a kiss from Carter, saying (via an excerpt from the book in the Daily Mail), "I took a sharp step backwards—not quite far enough." Shawcross revealed, "She never kept a diary after her marriage but wrote these brilliant letters in this wonderful hand all her life."
Furthermore, the Queen Mother allegedly included Carter's name in an "anti-toast" she gave to individuals she didn't like at a dinner party years later, via The Independent. When someone asked the royal why she included Carter on the unsavory list, she allegedly responded, "Because he is the only man, since my dear husband died, to have had the effrontery to kiss me on the lips."
Carter, of course, denied any such impropriety, and was seemingly extremely upset by the implication. Instead, the former president said he simply kissed the Queen Mother "lightly on the cheek" when dinner ended, per People.
Writing about the alleged incident in his 2016 autobiography A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety, via The Independent, Carter explained, "More than two years later, there were reports in the British papers that grossly distorted this event, stating that I had deeply embarrassed her with excessive familiarity." He continued, "I was distressed by these reports, but couldn't change what had happened—nor did I regret it."
It would seem that Carter had nothing but the utmost respect for Queen Elizabeth II's mother, and that whatever happened in 1977, he meant no harm whatsoever.
