The Adorable Faux Pas George W. Bush Once Made In Front Of The Queen

As the world pays respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it presents a rare coming together across global boundaries, party lines, and politics. Along this collective stroll down memory lane, Stella Parton reminded everyone of the wink that rocked the world. In a visit to the United States in 2007, the late Queen Elizabeth II attended a formal welcome ceremony on the White House lawn, where President George Bush addressed the crowd. The president had a bit of a blunder and accidentally said Her Majesty helped the US celebrate its bicentennial in 1776, when, of course, he should have said 1976. Not only was it factual incorrect, but, as The Guardian pointed out, by default it added 200 years to the queen's age!

President Bush, in an attempt to recover, jokingly winked at Her Majesty and said to the crowd, "She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child." And, as you can imagine, a quick analysis of the faux-pas against the unofficial royal-etiquette cringe-o-meter yields the maximum score — even the queen's beloved corgis cringed. 

Later that night, in a formal speech, the queen delighted the room with a verbal wink of her own. With the grace she's known for — and a rare moment of public humor — she began by saying, "I wondered whether I should start this toast by saying, 'When I was here in 1776...'"

She brought down the house in a way only she could.