Dr. Henry Kissinger visited the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, CA, on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 and signed a personal message expressing condolences at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in a book that will be delivered to the Royal Family.
Dr. Kissinger wrote, “In memory of a great sovereign who ennobled her society and whom I had the privilege of meeting on a number of occasions.”
The “number of occasions” Dr. Kissinger referred to includes multiple state dinners and a visit to Buckingham Palace in 1995 when The Queen made him an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, one of the top honors Britain can bestow on a foreigner.
Dr. Kissinger, 99, appeared at the Nixon Library at a dinner in his honor to receive its highest honor, the Architect of Peace Award, and share reflections from his latest book, Leadership. He serves as a Director Emeritus of the Richard Nixon Foundation. Throughout the evening, he discussed the qualities of effective leadership, with particular emphasis on President Nixon’s leadership during the Vietnam War and Yom Kippur War.
An elegant candlelit ballroom —a replica of the White House East Room— set the stage for a significant gathering in Orange County of senior statesmen, impactful philanthropists and noted national, local and community leaders, including former National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, former California Governor Pete Wilson, former Executive Chairman and CEO of Google Eric Schmidt, technology entrepreneur Peter Thiel, basketball champion Ann Meyers Drysdale, the Presidents of Chapman University, California State University at Fullerton and Stanbridge University, thirteen members of the Nixon Foundation’s Board of Directors, and five individuals who served with Dr. Kissinger in the Nixon administration.
The dinner honoring Dr. Kissinger —co-chaired by Lisa Argyros and Ling & Charlie Zhang— raised $800,000 to advance the educational mission of the Richard Nixon Foundation and expand its investments in civics education and programming. Nixon Foundation President and CEO Jim Byron announced that the Foundation will, in 2023, begin developing middle and high school curriculum rooted in American civics; host teacher training sessions every Summer on U.S. foreign policy; establish an application-based undergraduate scholarship program to support those studying foreign policy and history; establish an application-based grant program to underwrite research and travel for students and scholars studying President Nixon or his era; and commit to an expansion of ties with institutions of higher learning.
The Nixon Library is offering the public an opportunity to sign the condolence book through September 28 during normal visitor hours, 10 am to 5 pm every day.
Queen Elizabeth II greets former U.S. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger on May 14, 1991.
Photo Credit: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library
July 7, 1976 – East Room – The White House – Washington, DC – Gerald R. Ford, Queen Elizabeth II, Henry Kissinger, Betty Ford, Prince Philip, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Nancy Kissinger; Guests at Entertainment Portion of State Dinner in Honor of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
July 7, 1976 – The White House – Washington, DC – Gerald R. Ford, Queen Elizabeth II, Henry Kissinger at Reception Prior to State Dinner in Honor of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
June 20, 1995 – Dr. Kissinger rode in the queen’s lead carriage with Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh to the Royal Ascot horse races on the day he was knighted.