So, Michelle touches HRH and gets away with it. During the Bush years, She Who Is Not Amused…was never amused by the Bushes. But the photographs of the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh (He Who Is Not Amused..by ANYONE), and the Obamas during their visit to London showed two couples who were absolutely delighted with one another’s company.

Now, in breathless prose, it’s reported that when Michelle Obama was in London recently with the girls, they not only got a private tour of Buckingham Palace but also lunch with Her Betty-ship.

What’s the deal?

“According to the sources, the queen and Michelle Obama have exchanged letters and spoken by telephone since that first meeting. The visit last Wednesday was organized as a treat for Sasha, who turned 8 that day.

Despite their age difference, the two women are said to share a number of interests, including the countryside, gardening and clothes.” Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Windsor – The Best of Friends

Mmmm, excuse me; but the 83 year old monarch, one of the richest people on earth, is known for her interest in…wellies, tweed skirts, shooting jackets and wearing babushkas when she is in the country and rather formal creations on her head on other occasions. Michelle Obama is interested in…not that. Lilibet, as she was known in her childhood, loves the veddy English country house life, complete with riding, shooting, et al. Michelle…is a child of the city, and of Chicago, ‘the city of big shoulders’ and ‘hog butcher to the world’, if I remember it correctly. Gardening? Well, I have to give Michelle credit for introducing a kitchen garden to the White House grounds; in that sense, she is closer to Prince ‘corporate food will kill you’ Charles. The Queen loves her gardens but I doubt that anyone has ever seen her on her hands and knees planting herbs.

So, what is it?

IMHO, it is as much who and what the Obamas are NOT as it is who and what they ARE. They are warm and personable. They are educated and not afraid to show it. They enjoy a good discussion and are well-informed. They respect European culture and values while at the same time, they don’t fawn. They don’t throw up on government dignitaries they are visiting. They don’t insist on drawing attention to their chemical addictions by insisting on NOT drinking the wine at state dinners. They don’t put their boots up on antique furniture. They don’t presume. They are funny and witty and clever. When Michelle is happy or delighted, she smiles with her whole face. Her face actually MOVES. No one has to make any excuses for them to the help. And neither one of them gets publicly drunk.

The Obamas are people who the Queen and Prince Philip find interesting, challenging, and fun to be with yet at the same time, they find them comfortable. The Queen and her consort have experienced the great sweep of 20th century history as few others have had and have had a vantage point on watching the United States change and develop (and perhaps fall apart) as none else have had either.

They have now seen a black family installed in the White House after being thwarted and snubbed by their predecessors, after not even being extended the least and most humble courtesy of space in the guest house so that the Obamas could get their daughters settled in school. They also saw that the Obamas’ responses to this were polite, reserved, controlled in terms of expressing their personal feelings about the snub and bad manners of the Bushes — they moved on.

In other words, the Queen and Prince Philip realized that the Obamas (as my veddy English Mama would put it), ‘are OUR sort of people’. That’s right – I think that more than anything else, the Windsors have a feeling of simpatico with the Obamas because…they are sooooo not the Bushes.

Michelle, honey; if you are reading this – here’s a suggestion. You KNOW you hate that china service that Laura dumped on you? Here’s your opportunity – invite HRH and the Duke to tea. You know you can do it. But you can’t possibly do it with the plates with the bugs on them; you need a NEW one..right?

That’s right.