Some of Queen Elizabeth’s most notable meetings, from Gorbachev to Gaga
- Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died on Thursday aged 96
- Here’s a look back at some of her famous meetings with world leaders and celebrities
From a string of US presidents to Lady Gaga, Queen Elizabeth met leading political and artistic personalities from around the globe during her record-breaking time on the throne.
Some were despised dictators, others world-famous guitarists she made polite conversation with. Regardless of the personalities, she always kept her composure.
After her accession in 1952, the queen met all sitting US presidents with the exception of Lyndon B Johnson. That spans 14 heads of state, from Dwight D Eisenhower to Joe Biden.
During the Cold War, however, her meetings with leaders from the Soviet bloc were few and far between.
In 1956, Elizabeth received Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who was overseeing a political thaw after replacing Joseph Stalin.
But it would be more than three decades later, in 1989, that Mikhail Gorbachev would be invited for an audience. It came after he launched a policy of “perestroika” (restructuring) which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.