Barack Obama picks the Queen as one of his favourite world leaders due to her ‘dry sense of humour’

Text friends: Mr Obama with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in 2016

Barack Obama chose the Queen as one of the world leaders he would most like to have involved in a group text messaging conversation.

Despite a US backlash against the Royal family following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, the former president praised the monarch for her "dry sense of humour."

In an interview with The Skimm, Mr Obama also praised Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, and Manmohan Singh, the former Prime Minister of India,  when asked who he would want to include in the texting.

"World leaders I’d want in a group text?" Mr Obama said.

"The Dalai Lama. Love that guy. Pope Francis, a genuinely good man. Angela Merkel. Prime Minister Singh.

"Maybe I’d throw Queen Elizabeth in there just because she has a drier sense of humor than people think.”

Mr Obama recalled some lighter highlights from his presidency, saying one of the best moments had been eating street food in Vietnam with Anthony Bourdain, the late chef and  documentary maker.

He also named Tanzania as the country that had given him the warmest welcome.

Mr Obama named Memphis barbecue, New Orleans jambalaya, and Maryland crab cakes as among his favourite foods in the US.

He added: "There are a handful of states where, as a general rule, the food is terrible. But they shall go unmentioned."