So what do the new kids on the block give the woman who has everything?
On their maiden European tour as President and First Lady, Michelle and Barack Obama put a little of their signature youthful flair into what is usually stuffy old protocol: the exchange of gifts between foreign leaders.
For Queen Elizabeth? An inscribed iPod fully accessorized and loaded with the “ultimate Broadway” collection of 40 tunes, including “People” by Barbra Streisand, “Aquarius” by Ronald Dyson and songs from a wide range of shows from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to Rent and La Cage aux Folles.
And just in case the Queen, 82, and her husband Prince Philip, 87, are more in the mood for a sing along é deux, the Obamas included a rare 1951 printing of a 243-page Rodgers and Hart Songbook – signed by Richard Rodgers – and including music and words to toe-tapping tunes from 22 Broadway shows and two films.
“It was a fun and very welcome gift,” a palace spokesman tells PEOPLE about the iPod, which also contains photos of the Queen’s state visit to the U.S. in 2007.
Returning the generosity, Her Majesty presented the Obamas with a silver-framed, signed photograph of herself and Prince Philip – the traditional gift often given to visiting heads of state.
Prime Minister’s Presents
The President and Michelle Obama had a private audience with the Queen and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon – part of a series of high-level, closely watched diplomatic meetings for the Obamas. Their first stop Wednesday morning was 10 Downing Street, official residence of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his wife Sarah and their two boys – identified in official U.S. trip documents as “Master John” and “Master James.”
There were gifts for them, too. Mrs. Obama selected a personal style favorite for Mrs. Brown – a broach (to be specific, it was a “crochet black flower brooch with pearl accents”). John, 5, got a baseball bat signed by Derek Jeter, a baseball signed by President Obama and a book titled Classic Baseball.
For younger brother James, 2, there was a collection of 10 Dr. Seuss books. As for talks between the President and the boys? “We talked about dinosaurs a little bit in between discussions of Afghanistan and Iran,” Obama said with a laugh. “So we’ve had a wonderful time.”
Songs on the Queen’s new iPod:
“Oklahoma!” Oklahoma
“If I Loved You” Carousel
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” Carousel
There’s No Business Like Show Business Annie Get Your Gun
“Once in Love with Amy” Where’s Charley?
“Some Enchanted Evening” South Pacific
“Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
“Getting to Know You” The King and I
“Shall We Dance?” The King and I
“I Could Have Danced All Night” My Fair Lady
“I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” My Fair Lady
“The Party’s Over” Bells Are Ringing
“Maria” West Side Story
“Tonight” West Side Story
“Seventy Six Trombones” The Music Man
“Everything’s Coming up Roses” Gypsy
“The Sound of Music” The Sound of Music
“Try to Remember” The Fantasticks
“Camelot” Camelot
“If Ever I Would Leave You” Camelot
“Hello, Dolly!” Hello, Dolly!
“If I Were a Rich Man” Fiddler on the Roof
“People” Funny Girl
“On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)” Funny Girl
“The Impossible Dream” Man of La Mancha
“Mame” Mame
“Cabaret” Cabaret
“Aquarius” Hair
“Send in the Clowns” A Little Night Music
“All That Jazz” Chicago
“One” A Chorus Line
“Tomorrow” Annie
“Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” Evita
“And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” Dreamgirls
“Memory” Cats
“The Best of Times” La Cage Aux Folles
“I Dreamed a Dream” Les Misérables
“Music of the Night” The Phantom of the Opera
“As If We Never Said Goodbye” Sunset Boulevard
“Seasons of Love” Rent
• With additional reporting by SIMON PERRY
