Joe Biden will be in the UK in a matter of days and there will be an excess of blarney, malarkey and shenanigans on the agenda. The annual G7 Summit starts on the 11th in Cornwall, and everyone assumes that President Biden will be there for the opening of the summit, which is the part where all the world leaders pose together for group photos and then do the one-on-one mini-meetings and photos. On the last day of the summit, Sunday the 13th, President Biden will travel from Cornwall to Windsor Castle for a formal-yet-private meeting with Queen Elizabeth. I’m taking this to mean that the Queen won’t actually travel to Cornwall for the G7, and she’ll likely just send Charles, Camilla, William and Kate.
The Windsor Castle meeting really is being described as Biden and Liz’s “first meeting.” No one can find any record of Biden meeting Liz when he was a powerful senator or when he was VP, although surely a meeting should have happened at some point? He’s held public office for nearly as long as she’s been Queen! Not really, but he was in public office for decades. President Biden will be the 13th American president the Queen has met – the first president she met was Harry Truman, and the only president she never met during her time as Queen was LBJ. Biden and Liz have communicated before, however – she sent him a note when he won the presidency, and he sent her a note of condolence when Philip passed away. According to the Daily Beast, Liz will probably be a lot more comfortable with Biden than she was with the last guy:
Trump vs. Biden: Joe Biden’s visit to Queen Elizabeth will require of her none of the diplomatic skills that Donald Trump’s 2019 visit did…. it seemed fairly obvious at the time that the days of the two appearances of Donald Trump at Windsor Castle were not her best on record. Thousands of Brits protested the visit. The queen looked stiff and formal with the Trumps. There was certainly none of the easy intimacy that characterized her interactions with the Obamas. The queen almost always prefers to let her actions do the talking, and for that reason it will be fascinating to compare the way in which she greets Joe Biden and his wife Dr Jill Biden.
How the Queen sees her role in these meetings: The writer Matthew Dennison, whose new biography of the queen is published this week, told The Daily Beast: “My understanding is that the queen will approach both visits from the same perspective: in her role as head of state, formally welcoming the leader of Britain’s most powerful ally on behalf of the British people. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that the queen is both pragmatic and practical; she understands the impact of her own soft power in these cases and she recognizes the importance of the royal role in British diplomacy.”
Will she be happier meeting Biden than Trump? “Obviously, palace officials will anticipate Biden’s own behavior being less controversial than that of his predecessor—the queen wouldn’t allow herself to express a view. Biden’s understated manner and old-fashioned courtesy ought to commend him in royal circles.”
She’s not worried about meeting Biden: Joe Little, the managing editor of Majesty magazine, told The Daily Beast: “This will be a very affable meeting, and whatever form it takes, whether tea or lunch, it is likely to be very relaxed. This is one head of state meeting another. It is something she clearly enjoys and is good at on a personal and diplomatic level. Whatever stress other people might have felt at the queen meeting Donald Trump, the queen herself would not have been stressed by the prospect. She has met all sorts of people from all walks of life.”
This meeting is about the Queen looking ready to work too: Royal sources have indicated to The Daily Beast that they are very happy for the queen’s meeting with Biden to be interpreted as a physical statement of her ongoing commitment to her duty, echoing the remarks she made on her 21st birthday (which are given some prominence on the royal family’s website) when she said, in a radio address: “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” The “imperial family” may be gone, but the queen’s appearance alongside Biden makes it very clear: She is going nowhere. She has no intention of stepping back or standing down from her frontline royal duties in the wake of her husband’s death.
Yeah, it’s interesting to think about our Irish-American president, so in touch with his feelings, still grieving for his beloved son, daughter and first wife every day, always with that mourning and sadness just below the surface… and he’s meeting a queen who just buried her beloved husband and likely feels quite alone. I do think it will be a good meeting and it would not surprise me at all if they really like each other. Biden might cry. The Queen might as well. Either that or Biden will come strutting out, complaining bitterly about royal malarkey. And yeah, it was still a mistake for Liz to roll out the red carpet for Trump so thoroughly, I don’t care what the Tory government requested.
Following the three days in the UK, Biden will travel to Belgium for the NATO Summit, and then he’s going to Switzerland for a one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin. At the NATO Summit, he’ll meet King Philippe of Belgium. Less drama with that royal meeting.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
One ELECTED Head of State with executive powers meeting one dynastically endowed figurehead Head of State. ..
Yep, let’s not forget the British people (‘hey we’re a democracy you guys!’) get NO say in our Head of State. Hmm.
Yes. But the corporate overlords who dictate the agenda of both the parties are not elected
“Biden’s understated manner and old-fashioned courtesy ought to commend him in royal circles.”
Why do I find this statement a bit condescending?
Because it is! They’re talking about Joe Biden like he’s got to behave so HE can impress Liz.
That’s it. You’re right.
Some, not all, of the conservative media in England made weird, patronizing remarks about Biden’s Irish heritage and love of all things Irish after he was elected. I do think there is some concern that the US would be very welcoming to a reunited Ireland as there are at least four or five major politicians (Ed Markey, Bernie Sanders, etc), plus President Biden, who signed a letter supporting unification a few decades ago and have done other things that could be considered “pro” Irish or in favor of unification.
Also, the funny thing is that while Biden obviously knows how to be proper with state officials…the man has been a politician forever…he really isn’t “understated” unless we’re comparing him to Trump.
It was a LOT condescending. Those who write about royalty are something else.
I read it as shade on Trump, actually, and how he walked in front of her and generally shows no manners or sense of decorum.
Yes, that’s why we vote for president – so he can be commended in royal circles.
Because it implies Biden should give a shit about what Petty Betty thinks. I can promise neither he nor any other American does.
Seeing that photo with Trump and Melania, JFC what a farce. What a horrific era, I don’t know how we will ever get fully past it, either.
But I guess having Biden restore some normalcy back to the presidency will help a bit, even though the normalcy feels so completely precarious.
The trumps still make me physically ill. I ever noticed this before, but why isn’t Trump’s jacket even closed.
He is so vain he just has to show his long “tie” off to pretend he’s not obese and impotent.
The thought of going through all of it again in 4 years terrifies me. Trump will probably run again and could win. He will be allowed back on social media in a couple years too… Ugh. It’s been so PEACEFUL having him silenced and out of office.
Acyn Torabi had a clip of Trump speaking last night; the fascist element (the GOP) will still be a problem, but I don’t think Trump’s will be. In honor of the good people who post on this page who have friend and family who have dementia, I will be more respectful to Donald that I would normally be: his brain is no longer functioning even as well as it did six months ago. His dementia is progressing rapidly and he will pose no threat in 2024.
Trump is a red herring at this point. We should be more concerned with the anti-democratic tactics the GOP is employing to ensure they stay in power, particularly around elections and voter suppression. And, we should worry about a younger, more cunning heir to Trump — be it Ron DeSantis, Josh Hawley, or someone unknown at this point — who can take his playbook and improve where he failed. That truly scares me more than the idea of Trump running in 2024.
It’s the photo in the hall with the dog bowls! LMAO, great choice of photo. And he always has the same smile, like he is standing next to a prize fish he just caught. Every damn picture. At least we don’t have to worry how our president is going to show his ass to foreign heads of state. No more walking in front of the queen to inspect her horses and military, like as if he had the damn right.
For some reason I like the fact that they’re in the hallway, as though they’re not letting him further into their domain, this is as far as he gets and no farther.
“Always has the same smile” — yes. He always looks like a cardboard cutout to me. Plastered on fake smile, no genuine emotion.
It’s so sad that the BRF had to go to such lengths to appease Trump to make sure he didn’t torpedo a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK. Such a selfish POS.
That smile has always looked more like a snarl because his eyes never look happy, although, sickeningly, that photo above may be an exception: he looks thrilled to be standing next to the Queen (!) because he is such a classless narcissist.
Will they mention Harry though, since there were great pics of Harry with the Bidens at Invictus.
The dog bowl picture! And that right there is a big difference, Biden will want to meet the dogs. And there will be no stress this time about making sure extraneous family members don’t get photographed with the Queen
Of course it will be fine. Biden knows how to conduct himself and is a professional. It’s going to be a relief for the Queen I’m sure to meet with him rather than Trump. Who wouldn’t rather have tea with Biden than Trump?
Didn’t the Queen travel to the US during Obama’s presidency, in one of her last international trips? Or was that under Bush?
Oh god did you see the pics of trump making the rounds on twitter yesterday? he’s younger than Biden, but only chronologically. I got off twitter fast because I don’t like to be reminded.
I force myself to watch and read and remember so I don’t memory hole him. He is still the titular head of the fascist party and though he no longer poses a threat, the GOP does.
I can’t imagine there are many (non-dictator) heads of state who don’t find meeting Biden a whole lot less stressful for a long list of very obvious reasons.
The mention of the quote from her 21st birthday speech is interesting, I know in the real world it’s not all about H&M but given what we’ve seen of the Windsor Klan’s pettiness and vindictiveness I’d be curious to know if they were that prominent pre-Sussexit. Plus it feeds into the Liz the Martyr narrative so nicely that is used to beat anyone who dare criticise the monarchy.
I can’t wait to see what happens in the post-Liz years.
The Trump-Clampett visit was just a hard cringe from beginning to end. Liz waiting and waiting on the Trumps to arrive, Trump limping on his bone spurs in front of the Queen to review the military, Ivanka standing around clueless hoping to get photographed with anyone royal, heads of state laughing out loud in front of her, Anne joking around behind the Trumps in the receiving line. *shudder* I need to be able to wipe this stuff from memory.
As he’s an Irish-American, I don’t think Joe Biden is terribly impressed by royals, unlike the previous guy (who thought the presidency was another version of monarchy). I’m sure he’ll be lovely to the figurehead queen.
Merricat, IIRC after he was elected, he made it very clear that he was opposed to Johnson breeching the Good Friday Agreement. It was more in the tone of a warning. I suggest Johnson make himself scarce.
Hmm…the queen seemed to enjoy the Trumps to me. Donald Trump venerated her because his mother was such a fan. I’m sure she enjoyed Trump showing deference to her. She’s not going to get the same treatment from Biden. He will treat her like any other Head of State.
She did seem to enjoy his admiration and desperate eagerness to meet her. The fact that they COULD all laugh at him behind his back was a bonus.
The Brits think Americans are gauche anyway, and they certainly expect everyone to admire her. The ignorant Trumps fit right into their wheelhouse of expectations
Deference? He stepped in front of her to review the household guards (or whatever military unit that was). Even if you ignore the fact that she’s The Queen of GB & NI, she’s a little old lady.
I thought the opposite. I think the BRF knows how to put a fake smile on – they’ve met with legitimate dictators in the past.
Besides, Trump was disgusting and borderline stalked Diana – the two women obviously didn’t get on post-divorce, but I would imagine even TQ would find the conduct towards her ex-daughter in law and mother of her grandsons to be abhorrent
So that story last week in the Mail about the Queen, Charles, Camilla and the Cambridge’s going to Cornwall to meet with Biden was either pure speculation or an attempt to bolster the BRF by using the G7 to look important.
Let’s not pretend the queen doesn’t share exactly the same politics as Trump, she just dresses it up in pageantry.
You just know that every world leader there will be side-eyeing all the royals wondering which one(s) had “concerns” about the color of Archie’s skin.
At this point, from what the rf has demonstrated, it could have been ALL of them, and probably was.
I can believe that. It was all of them.
I’m convinced it was Charles. Cutting them off financially is forgivable, ugly speculation about their child is not.
lol I hope his parting words to her are, “sorry, Liz, I got to go do some real head of state work now”.
The British royals are the same as the Trumps. Both launder money and avoid paying their share of taxes, both love tacky gold pianos/toilets, both are friendly with pedophiles and dictators, both hate people of color, and both think they’re exceptional because they came out of the “right” vagina. The only difference is the accent. They are peas in a pod.
The Bidens (and Obamas) are superior to these illiterate inbreds.
Ummm…I am just going to put this out there, but who Doesn’t think a meeting between a 95-year-old woman and a 74-year old man is going to be anything else but boring? There will be no fireworks. The cumulative age between them is 169 years. They will both be tired by the time they meet. No fireworks will happen.
Trust!
The queen is an empty-headed nitwit who believes she was chosen by God to rule. She has always been boring.
I bet Biden, with his wide living experience and legitimate accomplishments, would be very interesting conversationalist.
That’s incredibly ageist.
And incredibly inaccurate actually, but hey…
But true. They will shake hands and smile with practiced ease.
I work with elderly and ageism is truism. These are too OLD people.
No fireworks. Trust.
Wow, don’t know what kind of working with elderly you do, but I sure wouldn’t want you anywhere near my older relatives with that kind of attitude.
Yeah, I don’t trust ageists.
I highly doubt they’re going to cry together! Lol. It will be a pleasant meeting but not an emotional one.
This meet and greet between Biden and Betty could be messy. And it’s just the two of them. Biden could ask about Meghan’s treatment in the Firm and the bullying investigation. He could ask as a US president concern about a US citizen. And the recent reveal of racist employment practices of the Firm (and still immunity from discrimination lawsuit) could make things awkward.
He’ll need to be careful mentioning racism – remember George Floyd, Rodney Allen+++++++
Why would he even discuss this with the Queen? Her whole stick depends on her being mute and apolitical.
No fireworks. Seriously…not even an interesting photo op unless they pull out the stops with crowns and tiara, which they will do. I’m just hoping we see some different jewelry. Kate should ask for the Spencer tiara. That would get tongues wagging.
This visit is pure diplomacy. Biden isn’t going to get into the rf’s racism.
Joe does not care one single iota about being “commended” in royal circles.
All the money trump allegedly has can’t buy him a scintilla of Joe’s dignity and I love Joe but he’s had his own share of sketch behavior.
I am deeply concerned about President Biden’s safety at 67, particularly since he will meet Putin, a strong ally of Trump. If Biden were no longer president, Kamala Harris, a black woman, would then be president of the United States. Trump’s “people” have no respect for any black person, certainly not a black woman president and I fear the chaos, uncertainty and white foaming-at-the mouth rage would trigger a Republican coup against our democracy. I am really terrified. I hope the president’s Secret Service agents are watching out for Polonium hand shakes. I also wouldn’t have him eat or drink anything. What a pathetic and horrific turn our country has taken! It feels like William Golding’s Lord of the Flies where the savages take over. Also, I’m reminded of Thomas Hobbes famous quotation on life before the social contract, which was “nasty, brutish and short.” Extraordinary times!
Can I just say, I am over the moon that we have a President who may or may not cry. I really love the entire Biden family for letting their emotions play out, good or bad.
I truly hope the G7 goes well and have every confidence that President Biden, and Jill will represent us well. Much better than the last time when the Trump Kushners showed up in masse and embarrassed us all. That was horrible. This will go fine, I think, and I look forward to it.