Barbra Streisand & Queen Elizabeth Look So Different In Throwback Pic Of The Time They Met

For many celebrities, few honors are as monumental as getting a chance to meet a member of the British monarchy. In 1975, Barbra Streisand's stunning transformation from nightclub singer to world-renowned performer was well underway, and she found herself having an audience with a Queen Elizabeth II. In a clip from the royal film premiere of "Funny Lady" (via YouTube), Streisand curtsies before the queen and the two exchange pleasantries. Over four decades later, after the heartbreaking death of Britain's longest reigning monarch, Streisand shared a photo of the occasion on Facebook. Streisand included a touching caption in honor of the late royal: "Sad to hear about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. She was a constant for us all. Respected around the world. May she rest in peace. Barbra." 

In this throwback photo, the two women look completely different from how they've appeared in the years since their meeting. For example, although Streisand is frequently seen with her long hair on full display, her younger self wears a demure headscarf and cape in the photo that keep her flowing locks hidden from view. The queen's hair is also a major point of difference in the photo; in her younger years, she had thick, dark hair that is a stark contrast to the age-whitened hair she wore before her death.  However, this wasn't the only time young Streisand met a member of the royal family; a year earlier, she also met the man who would someday become king. 

Meeting Queen Elizabeth was undoubtedly a huge moment for Barbra Streisand, but the singer also had a memorable interaction with another member of the royal family. As she revealed in her memoir, "My Name is Barbra," Streisand counts Queen Elizabeth II's son, King Charles III, among her friends. Streisand first describes their initial meeting in 1974, which included something most people will never get to experience: "I was drinking tea and offered [Charles] a sip... and the future king of England actually drank from my cup, which was apparently unprecedented." Twenty years later, the pair reconnected when Charles attended one of Streisand's concerts. ITN (via YouTube) captured their reunion, which included a warm handshake and plenty of smiles.

The friendship between Streisand and Charles sparked affair rumors over the years, and it appears Charles may have had romantic feelings for the singer at one point. As Streisand described in her memoir, the future king had a crush on her long before their first meeting: "I was told that Charles has said I was his 'only pin-up' (apparently he had a poster of me in his room at Cambridge), and he described me as 'devastatingly attractive' with 'great sex appeal.' Who knew?" However, the king and the singer have never officially been an item. Perhaps if events had unfolded differently, Streisand's first meeting with Queen Elizabeth II could have meant meeting her future mother-in-law.