Oh, burn. Barack Obama had this to say on the not-so special relationship
Barack Obama has been wined and dined by the Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Prime Minister during this week’s visit to the United Kingdom.
On all sides, there has been gushing talk of the “special relationship” and centuries of friendship. Aside from with those pesky Leave campaigners, Obama’s reputation and image is a lot better on this side of the pond than it is at home.
Gallery: When Obama came to visit
However, that didn’t stop the President from bringing up a few occasions when US-UK relations were not so cordial. In a town hall meeting with young Britons, Obama said:
We go back a pretty long way – the UK and the US. And we’ve had our quarrels.
There was that whole tea incident …
The British burnt my house down.
For those not so hot on the patchy start to the special relationship, Obama was, of course, referring to the 1773 Boston Tea Party and the burning of the White House by British troops as part of the War of 1812 in 1814.
It was all in good spirit, however, as Obama wasted no time in getting back on the charm offensive:
We made up.
Nothing was going to stop me from wishing Her Majesty a happy birthday and from meeting [Prince] George … he’s adorable.