World

Joe Biden Had His First Meeting With Queen Elizabeth As President

The Queen has met with every US president since Dwight Eisenhower, save Lyndon Johnson.

by David Mack

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Posted on June 11, 2021, 9:49 pm

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{ "id": 127224255 } Jack Hill / AP { "id": 127224249 }

President Joe Biden met with Queen Elizabeth II in England on Friday — the first time he has encountered the British sovereign as commander in chief.

The president and first lady Jill Biden were photographed chatting with the Queen at an event for heads of state attending the G7 summit in Cornwall.

Photos showed the Queen — wearing pearls, white gloves, and a floral dress — smiling warmly as she spoke with the first lady outside a giant dome at a complex known as the Eden Project, where the leaders had gathered for an evening reception.

Biden is the 13th US president to meet with the Queen, whose reign began in 1952.

{ "id": 127224338 } / AP

Queen Elizabeth II and President John F. Kennedy at Buckingham Palace in 1961

{ "id": 127224249 }

The 95-year-old monarch has met with every US president during her time on the throne except for Lyndon Johnson.

Her first meeting as Queen was with Dwight Eisenhower in 1957 — the same year she met Herbert Hoover, who had left the White House two decades earlier. In 1951, while she was still a princess, she also met Harry Truman.

Biden had previously met the Queen in 1982 when he was a US senator.

{ "id": 127224350 } Bob Daugherty / AP

President Ronald Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II go horseback riding on the grounds of Windsor Castle in England in 1982.

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Friday's meeting comes just two months after the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, died on April 9 at age 99.

Also present at the G7 event from the British royal family were Prince Charles; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

In photos, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could be seen chatting with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Prince Charles.

{ "id": 127224284 } Jack Hill - WPA Pool / Getty Images { "id": 127224249 }

Friday was the first full day of talks at the summit, with Johnson telling those present it was an opportunity to "level up across our societies" and "build back better" after the coronavirus pandemic.

He also said leaders needed to address issues of economic inequality as well as climate change.

"I actually think that we have a huge opportunity to that because, as G7, we are united in our vision for a cleaner, greener world, a solution to the problems of climate change," he added.

Before the evening reception, the Queen joined Biden and other world leaders for a group photo, where she made them laugh by asking, "Are you supposed to be looking as if you're enjoying yourself?"

"Yes," Johnson replied. "We have been enjoying ourselves in spite of appearances."

{ "id": "1403440449436766208", "params": { "conversation": "none" } } Laura Kuenssberg @bbclaurak

‘Are you supposed to look as if you are enjoying yourselves?’ - the Queen makes the leaders laugh tonight, taking centre stage

07:54 PM - 11 Jun 2021 Reply Retweet Favorite Twitter: @bbclaurak { "id": 127224249 }

The Bidens are due to visit Windsor Castle for a special private audience with the Queen on Sunday.

Jun. 12, 2021, at 22:12 PM

Correction: The Queen's reign begin in 1952. A previous version of this story misstated the year.

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  David Mack is a senior breaking news reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.

  Contact David Mack at [email protected].

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