Less than a year before marking an unprecedented 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II met her 13th tenant in the White House, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
The three reunited at Windsor Castle on Sunday, following the conclusion of the G-7 summit Joe Biden attended in Cornwall, England.
The president’s helicopter landed on the castle lawn just before 5pm local time, and the Biden rode in a black Land Rover – the favorite car of the late Prince Philip – to join the queen on an open photo podium. Her Majesty wore a cheerful pink floral ensemble with a matching hat and white gloves, the first lady wore a powder blue skirt (she was seen putting a mask in her pocket), and the president pulled his navy suit into aviator sunglasses and a light blue tie.
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The three of them stood together for “Star Flag” (“God Save the Queen”, the national anthem of Great Britain, played a few minutes before the arrival of the Biden), and the Queen and First Lady remained on the podium while the President inspected the Red Guard bear skins gathered on the ground of the trap. During the visit of former President Donald Trump in 2018, Trump violated royal protocol walking in front of Queen Elizabeth II during the inspection.
Then Bidens went inside to have tea with the 95-year-old monarch. When they left the podium, Biden gave the queen an elbow. She didn’t take his hand and went down, holding the handrail.
The Biden emerged from the castle ashamed for a full hour with the Queen and boarded a helicopter to return to London.
Afterwards, the president told reporters at the pool that the queen was “very merciful” and invited her to the White House. He said the monarch reminded him of his late mother.
Last week, the president’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, “Who among us wouldn’t want to meet the queen? … They betrayed, of course, graceful call, which he certainly accepted. He is looking forward to seeing her and others. Biden. “
It is the Biden family’s first overseas trip since taking office and the first meeting with the Queen as president. But the White House says he attended an audience with the Queen in November 1982, when he traveled to the UK for a meeting of the British-American Parliamentary Group during his second term as a U.S. senator from Delaware.
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During her reign, the Queen was honored with a record five state dinners at the White House – more than any other monarch or head of state, according to the White House Historical Association.
Meeting with Bidens is not a state visit; it is a kind of more informal kindness Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump performed when they stopped by for tea with Her Majesty. (2019, hosted them on a state visit, including the usual lavish banquet at Buckingham Palace.)
As usual at these summits, the first lady participated in a program organized by Johnson for the G-7 couple on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, she appeared with Kate, Duchess of Cambridge at a local school in Cornwall to highlight their common interest in early childhood education.
On Friday night, the Biden and other G-7 leaders attended a reception hosted by the Queen, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William and Kate. The gathering, confirmed by the White House late Thursday, is an indication that the British Crown and government consider the first G-7 summit of the Biden government to be important enough to deploy top royal members to socialize with visitors.
After meeting with the Queen on Sunday, the First Lady will meet with veterans from the UK who took part in the Walk of America, a 2018 expedition led by Walking with the Wounded to share stories of injured service members, sponsored by Biden.
Contribution: Associated Press
Insert color:Queen Elizabeth II is attending the celebration after hosting G-7 leaders
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