THE Essex weather forced a last-minute change of plan as President Barack Obama left Britain for the next leg of his world tour.Visibility was down to less than 100 yards, forcing security experts to veto plans to fly the President and his wife, Michelle
THE Essex weather forced a last-minute change of plan as President Barack Obama left Britain for the next leg of his world tour.
Visibility was down to less than 100 yards, forcing security experts to veto plans to fly the President and his wife, Michelle, by helicopter from the Regent's Park home of the US ambassador to Stansted Airport.
Instead, he was driven there in the bullet proof presidential limousine - nicknamed The Beast - and the 10-vehicle convoy swept through north London and up the M11 to Stansted.
Intense security meant that Air Force One was parked on the north side of the airport, which meant that departing passengers in commercial flights had no chance to see the President.
The airport was closed and in-bound flights delayed until Air Force One took off at about 8.35am, heading for Strasbourg and the NATO summit where he is meeting French and German leaders.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here