President Barack Obama had a lot on his mind when he arrived in the United Kingdom for the G20 conference this week. The destiny of the American automobile industry, that pesky stimulus package, and looming financial and environmental disaster But, above all, how much will the Queen enjoy the new iPod I gave her?

One top etiquette expert cringed at Obama’s gifting of the Royal iPod, saying it proved that he hasn’t worked out presidential gift-giving. Or maybe they shouldn’t all come from Best Buy – Obama previously received flak for handing British Prime Minister Gordon Brown a boxed set of DVDs during his visit to the White House.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama presented the queen with a customised iPod filled with video footage from her 2007 visit to Washington and Virginia during their private meeting. A rare songbook autographed by composer Richard Rodgers was also handed to her.

The playlist also features “Oklahoma!” Carol Channing’s rendition of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “Memory” from Cats and “Shall We Dance?” featured in “The King and I.”

In response, Queen Elizabeth gifted the Obamas with a silver-framed photograph of herself and her husband, Prince Philip, which appears to be a typical gift at Buckingham Palace for visiting dignitaries.

President Obama expressed his delight at the possibility of meeting the Queen, indicating that this gift had been carefully considered. The president, displaying the odd obsession Americans have with all things British and regal, stated yesterday: “I am very much looking forward to meeting her for the first time later this evening … I think in the imagination of people throughout America, what the Queen stands for, her decency and her civility and what she represents is very important.”

Anna Post of the Emily Post Institute said, “the iPod only works for me if he has some catchy reason why he gave it as a gift. Otherwise it feels like somebody at the White House pulled the lever and an iPod is what popped up. And if it was just pulled out of the blue, you run the risk of the ‘Oh, how nice,’ reaction from people which is the polite gloss of, ‘What on earth am I going to do with this?’ ”

According to Buckingham Palace spokesperson David Pogson, Queen Elizabeth has met with 11 of the previous 12 US presidents, including a visit with Harry Truman when she was a princess.

The queen, on the advice of her son, Prince Andrew, decided to join the iPod revolution in 2005 and purchased a 6GB silver model. Her Royal Highness enjoys show tunes and easy listening music, but not rap or pop, according to royal watchers.

The queen hosted a reception for all of the global leaders attending the summit after her meeting with the Obamas.

Hundreds of people responded to the Telegraph newspaper’s report on the gift exchange, with many Americans apologizing for the gift and expressing shame, while Brits seemed to take it in stride, with one writing:

“Dear ‘Real Americans, Thanks for the apologies, but you can keep them. No reasonable person here is insulted by the gifts given to the queen – I imagine it was refreshing for her not to receive another ornamental trinket to sit in the royal garage.”