President Biden met with Queen Elizabeth II on Friday in his first face-to-face interaction with the queen since entering office earlier this year; making him the 13th sitting U.S. president to meet the British monarch.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden spoke with the queen and Group of Seven (G-7) leaders and Royal family members at a reception following the first session of the global summit on Friday.
The president earlier Friday posed alongside UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other European leaders during a “family photo”; with the queen at the G-7 summit in Cornwall, UK.
President Biden and the G7 leaders pose for a family photo with Queen Elizabeth II pic.twitter.com/yVVU6g1QmQ
— The Hill (@thehill) June 11, 2021
While most of the day’s events happened behind closed doors; the leaders did pose for photos at the beach and were seen mingling at the reception.
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Biden also huddled with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday on the sidelines of the summit; with the pair discussing issues including COVID-19 and counterterrorism in the Sahel region of West Africa; among other topics, the White House said.
The Biden administration described the G-7’s first day of talks as “positive and productive.”
The weekend summit, which includes leaders from the U.S.; Germany, France, Japan, Canada, Britain and Italy, is expected to touch on issues including COVID-19; economic cooperation and climate change.
Biden, who is on his first overseas trip as president; will hold a more formal meeting with the queen at Windsor Castle on Sunday at the conclusion of the G-7 gathering before traveling to Brussels for a NATO summit and meetings with European leaders.
Queen Elizabeth previously met with then-President Trump in June 2019 at Buckingham Palace during a state visit by the U.S. president.
Trump, who gave the queen a flower brooch, later remarked that the queen “hasn’t had so much fun in 25 years.”
