Newsman: President Biden described Queen Elizabeth as an “extremely gracious” woman who reminds him of his mother after meeting her at Windsor Castle. President Joe Biden and the first lady were inside together for roughly an hour meeting with the Queen. Biden is the fifth president the Queen has hosted at Windsor and it was among her first public engagements since her husband, Prince Philip, died at 99 earlier this year. He is the thirteenth American president to meet the Queen, and the twelfth during her reign.
“We had a great talk,” he said. “She was very generous,” Biden said. He said he did not think she’d be insulted if he said she “reminded me of my mother in terms of the look of her and the generosity.” Asked if he’d invited her to the White House, Biden said he had.
President Joe Biden and Queen Elizabeth II met in England on Friday at an event for world leaders attending the Group of Seven summit in Cornwall this weekend. Biden previously met the queen when he was a US Senator in 1982, the Guardian reported.
The long-reigning royal, who has sat on the throne since 1953, has met every sitting US president since Harry Truman, except for Lyndon B. Johnson.
Speaking at Heathrow Airport before departing the UK, Biden said he wished he could have spoken to the Queen for longer.
He said she wanted to know about Vladimir Putin, whom Biden will meet next week, and Xi Jinping, the Chinese president.
Biden said they compared notes on living in Windsor Castle versus the White House. She noted the end of the castle they met on is private, while the other end allows public visitors.
To welcome the Bidens, the Queen treated them to an honor guard formed of the Grenadier Guards in the castle’s famous quad and the US National Anthem was played.
The President also inspected the troops and then rejoined the Queen and first lady to watch the military march-past.
On Sunday, Biden became the 12th sitting president to meet the Queen during her reign, joining a legacy of American leaders paying their respects to a global icon and living piece of history.
President Biden was speaking before departing the United Kingdom after four nights in the country. He attended the G7 summit, met for one-on-one talks with at least four leaders and held a private audience with Queen Elizabeth II.
President Biden headed to Brussels for the 31st Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Monday.
