Jenna Bush Hager, the daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush, has often spoken about how her father believed from the start that her relationship with her husband, Henry Hager, was meant to be. During an episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, the 44-year-old host shared some of the signs her father noticed that suggested their future together.
Before they were engaged, Jenna and Henry embarked on what George W. Bush referred to as a “make-or-break tour.” The journey began in West Texas, where they visited Jenna’s grandmother, also named Jenna.
“She packed us up a little cooler with some snacks from Southwest Airlines, some peanuts and such,” Jenna recalled. “And then we drove to Portland, Oregon. We hiked the Grand Canyon. We camped out in West Texas… and my dad was like, ‘If y’all get home and still like each other, I bet you’ll get married.’ And we did.”
The couple eventually tied the knot in 2008 at George W. Bush’s Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas. They are parents to three children: Mila, 13, Poppy, 10, and Hal, 6.
Jenna Bush Hager Introduced Queen Camilla to Henry During Their Early Dating Days
George W. Bush wasn’t the only one who had an opinion on Jenna’s early days with Henry. During an earlier episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, she shared a story about how Queen Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, witnessed their growing romance during a State Dinner at the White House.
“I first actually met the Queen when she was the Duchess of Cornwall… I brought Henry…” Jenna said. “I was a teacher in D.C. Imagine [I was a] teacher in D.C. by day, and in the nighttime, I put on this black dress, and I said to my boyfriend, who was only my boyfriend for six months at that point, ‘Will you come with me to a State Dinner?’”
Jenna, who recently interviewed the royal, added, “We went to the State Dinner, and when I saw the Queen yesterday, she said, ‘It’s been since 2005.’ I couldn’t believe she remembered that.”
During the mom-of-three’s recent interview with Camilla, she revealed that she ended up marrying the man she brought to the dinner.
“She said, ‘I’m glad it worked out… you were really throwing him into the fire,’” Jenna shared. “I said, ‘Yes, I was.’”
A throwback picture of the young couple at the event then flashed on the screen.
“Aw, what a beautiful dress, Jenna. Do you still have that dress… and those earrings? You guys are very handsome. You guys look very royal,” co-host Sheinelle Jones said of her friend’s low-cut black frock.
“That’s how I was trying to look,” Jenna confirmed.
