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Peyton Manning Recalls Awkward Dinner With Queen Elizabeth at White House
Peyton Manning recalled being a fish out of water at a White House state dinner attended by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Back in May 2007, Peyton, 49, and his wife, Ashley Manning, were guests of then-President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, when the queen and her late husband, Prince Philip, visited Washington, D.C., for a white-tie dinner.
President Bush, 79, was a guest on Peyton and brother Eli Manning’s Manningcast broadcast during Monday Night Football on Monday, November 17, when they swapped stories about the memorable evening.
“Ashley sat at a table with you, the queen, [late golfer] Arnold Palmer, [broadcaster] Jim Nantz,”’ Peyton remembered. “Her table was stacked. I was in the back corner. My question, Mr. President: Were you worried I would embarrass the United States in front of the Queen of England?”
Tom Brady explained why he struggled to make friends during his NFL playing days, which included a contentious bond with fellow quarterback Peyton Manning. “When I look back on my relationship with Peyton Manning, my respect, admiration, and appreciation for him as a competitor has grown with each passing year,” Brady, 47, wrote in his […]
Bush did not hesitate, saying, “Yes. Yeah, I was.”
“Plus, I was thrilled to have a beautiful woman at the table,” the former president said, referring to Peyton’s wife.
Bush continued to joke at Peyton’s expense, saying they put him at a different table because he was “worried you were going to dribble on your tux.”
When it came time to meet the queen, Bush recalled a Kentucky Derby jockey who broke protocol and tried giving Her Majesty a hug.
“I thought the Secret Service was going to eliminate him,” Peyton said.
Before meeting the queen himself, Peyton said his mom, Olivia, was “nervous” he was going to pat her on the back.
“She was like, ‘Don’t pat the queen,’” Peyton remembered.
Luckily, President Bush was there to give Peyton a pep talk before the big moment.
“You said, ‘Hey, here’s how you address the queen,’” Peyton said. “Americans don’t bow. You gave me all the protocols. You took care of me.”
Bush responded, “You handled it beautifully and your wife was fantastic, by the way.”
After Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022, Peyton shared a photo of himself and Ashley, George and Laura and Elizabeth and Philip from the Oval Office.
“What an honor it was to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Peyton shared via Instagram. “One I will never forget. Her loyalty and service to her country are unrivaled! Rest In Peace Queen Elizabeth II.”
President Bush joined Peyton and Eli, 44, during the first quarter of the game between the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night.
Former President George W. Bush appeared on the field during Monday Night Football shortly before it was announced his vice president, Dick Cheney, had died. Bush, 79, and his wife, former first lady Laura Bush, were part of a pregame ceremony honoring Medal of Honor recipients during the national anthem before the Dallas Cowboys faced […]
When asked how long he had been “preparing” for his appearance on the Manningcast, Bush quipped, “About 10 minutes.”
“By the way, I’m so pleased to see your faces not on a TV commercial,” Bush said to the brothers, referencing the former NFL quarterbacks’ many endorsement deals.
Peyton laughed and said, “There’s a lot of them out there. And there’s a few more on the way, I’m just going to apologize in advance. I filmed a couple last week. I’m just going to warn you.”
On the football side of things, the former president called the Cowboys’ season “disappointing,” but they were able to defeat the Raiders 33-16 on Monday night.
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