US PRESIDENT BARACK Obama’s trip to the UK was only for two days, but he’s certainly packed a lot into it.
On the political side, his biggest contribution was his withering put-down to referendum Leave campaigners, saying that the UK would go to “the back of the queue” for a post-Brexit trade deal.
Today he’s also met with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, a strident critic of US foreign policy, congratulating him in person on his election as leader.
But given that this European trek is in many ways Obama’s farewell tour, he’s also managed to get in some quality photo ops with the royals.
Yesterday, himself and his wife Michelle met with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip while last night he got the most exclusive of audiences, with the third-in-line to the throne, young Prince George.
This morning, Obama spoke at a town hall-style meeting at Royal Horticultural Hall in London where he mentioned his time with the royals.
“Nothing was going to stop me from wishing happy birthday to her majesty and meeting George, who was adorable,” he said.
During the course of the meeting Obama was asked by a young woman from Northern Ireland about the continued role of the United States in the peace process.
He said Northern Ireland’s story was inspiring people to resolve conflicts elsewhere in the world.
“So in Colombia and Latin America right now they’re trying to undergo a peace process and they’ve actually brought people from Northern Ireland to come and describe how you overcome years of enmity and hatred and intolerance,” he said.
During the meeting, a young political graduate Maria Munir came out to Obama as being of non-binary gender, encouraging the president to work towards transgender rights.
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