The family of Gerald and Betty Ford on Friday expressed their sadness of Queen Elizabeth II's passing and recalled the queen's dance with President Gerald Ford in 1976.

"We will long remember the dance shared between our father and the Queen, not only for their grace and dignity, but as a symbol of harmony," the family said in a statement released by the Ford Foundation.

Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at 96, in 1976 visited the U.S. for an American bicentennial celebration, where she shared a dance with President Ford.

Betty Ford recalled the event in her memoir, "The Times of My Life," published in 1978.

"An hour and a half before the Queen's dinner, there was a sudden downpour with torrential rain, thunder, lightning. Three trees on the White House grounds were struck. Fortunately, I'd insisted that our tent have a floor," the First Lady recalled in her memoir.

The dinner at the event included an entrée of "New England Lobster en Bellevue," "a Saddle of Veal," a "Garden Salad," and a "Peach Ice Cream Bombe with Fresh Raspberries."

"The Queen was easy to deal with. She was very definite about what she wanted and what she didn't want. She loves Bob Hope and Telly Savalas, so we invited Bob Hope and Telly Savalas — both came — and if I hadn't kept mixing up Your Highness and Your Majesty (he's His Highness, she's Her Majesty) I'd give myself four stars for the way that visit went off," Betty Ford said.

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