The state of affairs of state dinners: A look at past White House galas

A look back at how America rolls out the red carpet for visiting dignitaries

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President Bush and first lady Laura Bush welcome Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at the North Portico of the White House for a State Dinner in Washington, Monday, May 7, 2007. (Ron Edmonds/AP)

It’s a night of pomp, revelry, and clinked glasses—American-style. As Justin Trudeau prepares to join President Barack Obama for the Prime Minister’s first state dinner at the White House—the first such event for a sitting Canadian prime minister in nearly two decades—take a look back at how the Americans showed their hospitality to some past dignitaries.

Related: Paul Wells on the stakes of the state dinner

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