Joe Biden on Sunday ended the primary leg of his maiden abroad journey as US president, inspecting a navy guard of honour and taking tea with Queen Elizabeth II.
In vibrant sunshine, the 78-year-old US chief’s Marine One helicopter landed at Windsor Castle, west of London, after the three-day G7 summit in Cornwall, southwest England, wrapped up.
The Queen, 95 and sporting a pink floral costume with an identical hat, is now again on frontline royal duties after the demise of her husband, Prince Philip, in April.
She had met Biden and his spouse, Jill, on the summit of G7 leaders on Friday, internet hosting a reception on the Eden undertaking eco-visitor attraction.
And on Saturday, she reviewed a scaled-down Trooping of the Colour, additionally at Windsor, as a part of her official birthday celebrations.
Sunday’s high-profile reception for the Bidens, which included a navy band taking part in each the British and US nationwide anthems, means she has now formally met 13 of the final 14 sitting US presidents — barring Lyndon B. Johnson — since she took the throne in 1952.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, visited in June 2019.
It was additionally the monarch’s first in-person assembly with a overseas chief in additional than a yr, after she was pressured into self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden, in a darkish swimsuit, inspected the Grenadier Guards of their purple tunics and black bearskin hats on the stainless lawns of the historic royal palace’s quadrangle.
Some of the troopers had been concerned within the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, the queen’s husband of 78 years who died simply weeks in need of his a centesimal birthday.
The Bidens on the time paid tribute to the duke, saying: “His legacy will stay on not solely by his household however in all of the charitable endeavours he formed.”
They saluted “eyes left” as they marched previous the monarch and the Bidens, who stood to consideration underneath a white cover, earlier than the dignitaries disappeared inside.
The US First Lady, who is ready to return to Washington after the regal reception, whereas her husband flies on to Europe for additional conferences, stated Friday it was “an thrilling half” of their UK go to.
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