No iPad2: Obamas Bring an Album for the Queen

It was something of a do-over for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as they exchanged gifts Tuesday with Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip.

During a U.K. visit two years ago, the president caused a bit of a stir by presenting the queen with a very modern gift: a preloaded iPod containing photographs and video of her 2007 U.S. visit.

This time, the Obamas opted to give the queen an old-fashioned gift: a collection of photographs and memorabilia from her parents? 1939 visit to the U.S.

According to the White House, the handmade, leather album was of ?historic and personal value,? chronicling the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth?the first U.S. visit by a reigning British monarch.

Prince Philip, a big fan of equestrian sports, received ?a custom-made set of Fell Pony bits and shanks? engraved with the presidential seal, along with?horseshoes worn by carriage horse Jamaica, the 2008 United States Equestrian Federation Horse of the Year.

For Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Obamas brought jars of honey from the White House beehive, along with plants, seedlings and seeds from gardens at Mount Vernon, Monticello and Mrs. Obama?s garden at the White House. The gifts were packaged in a box crafted from the wood of a magnolia tree brought down by the big snowstorm in 2009. Prince Charles is a strong proponent of organic, small-scale and sustainable agriculture.

For the royal newlyweds, Prince?William and his wife, Catherine, the White House said Mr. and Mrs. Obama donated six MacBook computers to the Northern Ireland chapter of PeacePlayers International, one of the charities the couple chose for gifts in honor of their marriage.

The staff at Buckingham Palace said the Obamas received facsimiles of letters from the Royal Archives ? correspondence between Queen Victoria and a few U.S. presidents, including John Quincy Adams and William McKinley, as well as Mary Todd Lincoln on the death of Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. Obama also received an antique broach of roses with gold stems and red coral flowers.

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Queen orders Apple's iPad2 after Prince William and Harry show her gadget

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:33 AM on 10th May 2011

 Technology fan: The Queen is said to have ordered an iPad2

The Queen has joined the millions of people around the world hooked on the latest technology and ordered her own iPad2, it emerged today.

Prince William and Harry, who both own versions of the device, reportedly introduced their grandmother to the tablet-style computer.

The 85-year-old monarch is said to have been so impressed with the touch screen device that she immediately ordered staff to buy her one.

She hopes to use the popular computer for long journeys around the country when she is inside the Royal car or train.

'The Princes think it is hilarious. They love the fact that their gran wants an iPad and think she's really cool,' a source told the Sun.

'For a woman of her age, she is very switched on. It was only a matter of time before she asked someone to go and get her one.'

It is said that when the princes showed their grandmother the device, she was taken with how easy it was to use. The lightness of the iPad2 and the large screen were also big attractions to her.

The Queen has owned iPods since they were introduced several years ago. In 2005 she bought a state-of-the-art model capable of holding 1,500 of her favourite songs.

She also received an iPod as a gift from Barack Obama when he visited London in 2009.

But the iPad, which has developed by Apple, has taken the technology world by storm since it was first released in April 2010.

An iPad2 was released in March this year. A staggering 15 million devices have so far been sold worldwide.

The Queen already has a mobile phone and internet connections so adapting to the gadget, which allows game, applications and web-browsing, will be easy for her.

Popular: Some 15 million copies of the iPad2 have been sold worldwide since the gadget was release in March this year

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