The Queen: “Ours is a partnership always to be reckoned with in the defense of freedom and the spread of prosperity”

Last night at the White House President Bush gave a dinner in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Both the President and the Queen gave short and thoughtful speeches (republished in full below).  They both spoke about the common interests of our two great countries.

BritainAndAmerica’s understanding of those shared interests is here.

George W Bush’s remarks:

"Your Majesty, and Your Royal Highness, distinguished guests, Laura and
I offer you a warm welcome to the White House. We’re really glad you’re
here.

Tonight is the fourth state dinner held in Your Majesty’s honor here at
the White House. On previous such occasions, you’ve been welcomed by
President Eisenhower, President Ford, and another President named Bush.
(Laughter.) Over your long reign, America and Britain have deepened our
friendship and strengthened our alliance.

Our alliance is rooted in the beliefs that we share. We recognize that
every individual has dignity and matchless value. We believe that the
most effective governments are those that hold themselves accountable
to their people. And we know that the advance of freedom is the best
hope for lasting peace in our world.

Based on our common values, our two nations are working together for
the common good. Together we are supporting young democracies in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Together we’re confronting global challenges such as
poverty and disease and terrorism. And together we’re working to build
a world in which more people can enjoy prosperity and security and
peace.

Friendships remain strong when they are continually renewed, and the
American people appreciate Your Majesty’s commitment to our friendship.
We thank you for helping us celebrate the 400th anniversary of the
Jamestown settlement. We’re confident that Anglo-American friendship
will endure for centuries to come.

So, on behalf of the American people, I offer a toast to Your Majesty,
to Your Royal Highness, and to our staunch allies, the valiant people
of the United Kingdom."

Queen Elizabeth’s remarks:

"Mr. President, thank you again for your
warm words of welcome. Prince Philip and I are most grateful for your
generous hospitality.

It is now 16 years since my last visit to Washington. In 1991, most of
the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were just emerging from
behind the Iron Curtain. Their people were rejoicing in the
opportunities presented by their newfound freedom. At the time, your
father, President Bush, saw the potential for what he called, a Europe
whole and free.

It is never easy to give royal form to such hopes and aspirations. But
here, in 2007, those aspirations have, for the most part, been
fulfilled. NATO and the European Union opened their doors to friends
across the continent, and both institutions have grown to encompass the
great majority of countries in Europe.

Tonight I would like to recognize that steadfast commitment your
country has shown, not just in the last 16 years, but throughout my
life, in support of a Europe whole and free.

I grew up in the knowledge that the very survival of Britain was bound
up in that vital wartime alliance forged by Winston Churchill and
President Roosevelt. On my first visit to Washington in 1951, your
predecessor, President Truman, welcomed me to the White House, and it
was his administration which reached out to Europe through the Marshall
Plan to help our tired and battered continent lift itself from the
ruins of a second world war. In the years that followed, successive
administrations here in Washington committed themselves to the defense
of Europe, as we learned to live with the awesome responsibilities of
the nuclear age.

Mr. President, for someone of my age, surveying the many challenges we
face in this new 21st century, that is the inescapable historical
context within which we live. My generation can vividly remember the
ordeal of the second world war. We experienced the difficulties of
those early postwar years. We lived through the uncertainties of the
long Cold War period.

For those of us who have witnessed the peace and stability and
prosperity enjoyed in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe over
these postwar years, we have every reason to remember that this has
been founded on the bedrock of the Atlantic Alliance. All the many and
varied elements of our present relationship, be they in the fields of
education, business, culture, sports, politics or the law, have
continued to flourish, safe in the knowledge of this simple truth.

Today the United States and the United Kingdom, with our partners in
Europe and the Commonwealth, face different threats and new problems
both at home and abroad. In recent years, sadly, both our nations have
suffered grievously at the hands of international terrorism. Further
afield, whether in Iraq or Afghanistan, climate change, or the
eradication of poverty, the international community is grappling with
problems certainly no less complex than those faced by our 20th century
forebears.

I have no doubt, however, that together with our friends in Europe and
beyond, we can continue to learn from the inspiration and vision of
those earlier statesmen in ensuring that we meet these threats and
resolve these problems. Divided, all alone, we can be vulnerable. But
if the Atlantic unites, not divides us, ours is a partnership always to
be reckoned with in the defense of freedom and the spread of prosperity.

That is the lesson of my lifetime. Administrations in your country, and
governments in mine, may come and go. But talk we will; listen we have
to; disagree from time to time we may; but united we must always remain.

Mr. President, I raise my glass to you and to Mrs. Bush, to the
friendship between our two countries, and to the health, freedom,
prosperity, and happiness of the people of the United States of America."