JOE Biden met with the Queen and other members of the Royal family on Friday for the first time since taking office.
With first lady Jill at his side, Biden’s inaugural meeting with Queen Elizabeth II comes just weeks after he praised Meghan Markle for the “courage” she showed during her tell-all interview with Oprah.
But there appeared to be no awkward tension between the pair, as the 95-year-old Monarch was pictured beaming as she spoke with the Bidens at a G7 reception at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
Also in attendance were Prince William and Duchess Kate, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Shand, and Prince Charles, who is due to give a speech to the G7 leaders this evening, calling for unity in the fight against climate change.
The Bidens will meet with the Royals again on Sunday as he and Dr. Jill are due to travel to Windsor Castle for tea with the Queen.
Friday’s meeting marked the 13th sitting US president the Queen has met during her historic 69-year reign. She has met every president since Dwight Eisenhower, except for Lyndon Johnson, who didn’t visit Britain while he was in office.
Ahead of the meeting, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki spoke of Biden’s excitement to meet the head of the British Monarchy.
“Who among us wouldn’t want to meet the queen?” Psaki said. “They issued, of course, a graceful invitation, which he certainly accepted. He’s looking forward to seeing her with Dr. Biden as well.”
Read our Biden live blog below for the very latest news and updates…
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TRUMP WISHES BIDEN ‘GOOD LUCK’ AHEAD OF PUTIN MEETING
Ahead of the high-stakes summit, Former President Donald Trump offered President Biden a message of “good luck.”
“Good luck to Biden in dealing with President Putin,” Trump said in a statement on Thursday.
He then cautioned the Commander-In-Chief, whom he dubbed “Sleepy Joe” before the 2020 election.
“Don’t fall asleep during the meeting, and please give him my warmest regards,” Trump said.
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‘NOT A RESET’ FOR AMERICA AND RUSSIA
Amanda Sloat, the National Security Council’s senior director for Europe, warned that Biden’s meeting with Putin is “not a reset” for the two hostile nations.
“This is not a reward,” she told CNN. “I think the President believes that there are areas where we can work with the Russians, for example on things like strategic stability, which is important not only to the United States but also to our European allies.
“And at the same time, the President has made very clear that he is going to address our differences,” she continued. “The President really believes he’s going to have the wind at his back as he moves into this meeting with President Putin.”
The president’ overarching message, Sloat says, will be that “democracies can work and that democracies can come together to address these challenges.”
Biden and Putin are not currently expected to hold a joint press conference after the meeting – unlike Trump and Putin who met in Finland in 2018.
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WHAT WILL BIDEN AND PUTIN TALK ABOUT?
Bitter disputes over election interference, cyber attacks, human rights and Ukraine are likely to set the tone for Biden and Putin’s face-off.
Strategic nuclear stability and regional conflicts will also be on the table.
Biden, who has spent the last two days meeting with G7 leaders in England, has previously said he would press Putin to respect human rights.
But the president remained tight-lipped on what his message will be for Putin when pressed by reporters earlier today, responding: “I’ll tell you after I’ve delivered it.”
Putin said last Friday he expected the talks to be held in a positive atmosphere, though he anticipated no breakthrough.
He said allegations that Russian hackers were behind a cyber attack that disrupted meat production in North America and Australia earlier this month were an attempt to provoke a political row ahead of the summit.
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SWISS AUTHORITIES PREPARE FOR BIDEN-PUTIN MEETING
Switzerland has deployed thousands of police and soldiers in an effort to tighten security ahead of next week’s summit between President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Biden and Putin will meet at Villa La Grange along Lake Geneva on June 16, their first face-to-face since Biden took office for what promises to feature heated talks on issues including cyber hacks and nuclear arms.
“We are on the eve of a historic moment,” Stephane Theimer, deputy director of Swiss federal police, told reporters at the park surrounding the 18th-century villa.
“The terrorist threat in Switzerland and in Europe remains high. Other threats from violent extremist groups are also relevant,” he said. “We are on high alert with a significant deployment of forces.”
The Swiss government declared on Friday a temporary restriction on Geneva air space from June 15 to 17.
Local authorities, who have put barricades and barbed wire around the park, said they would shut down the lakefront city center.
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BIDEN SMILES ALONGSIDE THE QUEEN AND OTHER G7 ATTENDEES
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BIDEN: ‘MACRON AND I STAND TOGETHER’
President Joe Biden tweeted a message of solidarity with French leader Emmanuel Macron on Friday evening.
“President Macron and I stand together, ready to take on the toughest challenges we face,” he wrote, attaching an image of the pair speaking during a pull-aside meeting.
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BIDEN AND MACRON HAD ‘PULL-ASIDE’ MEETING
President Biden and French leader Emmanuel Macron shared a private exchange of words during their first in-person interaction at the G7 summit on Friday.
They will holf a more formal bilateral meeting on Saturday, the White House says.
“The Leaders discussed a range of regional and bilateral issues, including COVID-19 and counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel, and affirmed the importance of the U.S.-France partnership and the Transatlantic alliance,” a spokesperson told CNN.
“President Biden enjoyed a positive and productive first day of discussions at the G7, focused on ways we can collaborate to build a more inclusive and fair global economy.”
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BIDEN GIFTS JOHNSON AMERICAN-MADE BICYCLE
President Joe Biden gave Boris Johnson a bicycle as the pair exchanged gifts as part of the G7 Summit in Cornwall.
He handed Johnson a custom-made touring bike and helmet from the Philadelphia-based Bilenky Cycle Works.
The White House said the gift was a “gesture of friendship and in recognition of their shared interest in cycling.”
In return, Johnson gave Biden a framed photograph of a mural of abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
First lady Jill Biden, meanwhile, received a first edition novel by 20th century British author Daphne du Maurier
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BORIS JOHNSON BORROWS BIDEN’S SLOGAN: ‘WE NEED TO BUILD BACK BETTER’
In a tweet after the first day of G7 summit talks concluded on Friday, Boris Johnson borrowed a slongan from his trans-Atlantic counterpart to call on the seven nations to “build back better” after the pandemic.
“My message to the @G7: As we recover from the pandemic, we need to make sure we level up across our societies.
“We need to #BuildBackBetter,” he wrote.
Johnson also borrowed the slogan – which Biden often uses to push his infrastructure and families plans – during his opening remarks at the summit.
He called on the leaders to “Build back bigger. Build back greener. And build back more feminine.”
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BIDEN AND MACRON SEEN WALKING ARM-IN-ARM
The G-7 leaders posed for a group photo. As the group walked away, led by Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron threw his arm around Biden’s shoulder and began an animated discussion.
Macron’s office said the French leader and Biden discussed China, agreeing there should be no confrontation but Western democracies must defend their values and interests.
The two men, who were meeting for the first time, talked for several minutes while heading to a meeting room.
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G7 COMMITS TO SENDING 1 BILLION VACCINES TO POOR NATIONS
Leaders of the G7 pledged on Friday to deliver more than one billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to lower-income countries on Friday.
Those donations will be dished out over the next 12 months.
Biden offered the largest number of vaccines, offering to buy and donate 500 million does of the Pfizer jab.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the pledge a huge step forward in helping to end the pandemic once and for all.
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ALL SMILES: A BEAMING QUEEN ELIZABETH MINGLES WITH G7 LEADERS
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BIDEN POSES WITH QUEEN AND OTHER WORLD LEADERS
President Biden posed with Queen Elizabeth II and other G7 leaders ahead of a reception at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
Biden was positioned two seats away from the Queen, who was sat center-stage surrounded by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French leader Emmanuel Macron.
Biden stayed back after the photo-op, speaking with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi as the group walked back into the venue.
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BIDEN IS 13TH PRESIDENT TO MEET THE QUEEN
Biden is the 13th sitting US President to sit down with Queen Elizabeth II, 95, during her 69-year reign on the throne.
The queen has met every American president since Dwight Eisenhower, except for Lyndon Johnson, who didn’t visit Britain while he was in office.
She was a 25-year-old princess when she came to Washington in 1951 and stayed with President Harry S. Truman and his family at Blair House, where Truman lived while the White House underwent a major renovation.
She met Herbert Hoover in 1957, more than 20 years after he left office.
Her personal ties to US leaders underscore the importance of the United States to the United Kingdom and to the queen.
She came of age during World War II and understands the central role the trans-Atlantic alliance has played in modern British history, said Robert Hardman, author of “Queen of the World,” which examines her role representing Britain on the world stage.
“She grew up with that sort of sense of the USA is almost a sort of salvation that came along and rescued Europe in the darkest days of the war,” Hardman said.
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BIDEN MEETS QUEEN ELIZABETH
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill were pictured sharing pleasentries with Queen Elizabeth II inside the Eden Project as part of a G7 event on Friday.
Her Royal Majesty beemed as she spoke to the president and his wife for the first time since he was sworn into office.
They will meet again on Sunday for tea at Windsor Castle.
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WATCH: THE ROYALS ARRIVING TO FRIDAY NIGHT’S G7 BANQUET
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PRINCE CHARLES WILL CALL FOR UNITY AMONG INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
During his speech at the G7 Summit on Friday, Prince Charles is set to call on the world leader to work together in their fight against climate change, just as they have the pandemic.
“The fight against this terrible pandemic provides a crystal-clear example of the scale and sheer speed at which the global community can tackle crises when we combine political will with business ingenuity and public mobilization,” the Prince of Wales is due to tell them, CNN reports.
“We are doing it for the pandemic. We must also do it for the planet,” he is set to add.
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BIDEN AND FIRST LADY JILL ARRIVE FOR EVENING RECEPTION
Joe and Jill Biden followed closely behind the Royal Family arriving at the Eden Project on Friday.
The pair held hands as they made their way inside the world-famous tourist attraction, ahead of their inaugural meeting with Queen Elizabeth.
Biden wore a black blazer, white shirt, and a black and white striped tie for the occasion. Fixed to his left label was a pin of a US flag.
Jill, meanwhile, arrived in a camel-colored trenchcoat over the top of a dark dress.
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QUEEN ELIZABETH II ARRIVES FOR G7 LEADERS’ RECEPTION
Queen Elizabeth II arrived for a reception at the Eden Project on Friday afternoon, flanked by Prince Charles, his wife Camilla, along with Prince William and Duchess Kate.
Her Royal Majesty dressed for the occasion in an elegant floral-patterned frock and white gloves.
The Duchess of Cambridge, meanwhile, stepped out in a stunning white double-breasted dress.
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INSIDE EDEN PROJECT BANQUET
The Eden Project reception is being hosted by Prince Charles and its aim is to discuss the climate crisis and biodiversity loss the world is currently faced with.
The attraction is home to one of the largest rainforests in captivity, as serve as an apt backdrop for the evening ahead.
The G7 leaders will be greeted by the Queen. Once the royals depart, they will sit down for a meal prepared by local chef Emily Scott of the Watergate Bay Hotel.
The menu will include a refreshing starter of spiced melon, gazpacho, coconut and high note herbs followed by a main of turbot roasted on the bone with miso beurre blanc, new potatoes from Cornwall and garlic pesto, Tatler reported.
They will then be served a strawberry pavlova for dessert.
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MACRON CALLS FOR ‘CONCRETE COMMITMENTS’ AFTER G7 ROUNDTABLE
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Biden and other G7 leaders to “get to work” after their roundtable discussions earlier today.
“We have a responsibility to set clear goals and make concrete commitments to meet the challenges of our time,” Macron tweeted on Friday.
“I am glad to see you again, dear partners and friends. Let’s get to work, together.”
Macron also shared a personal message to Biden, after the pair met for the first time in person.
“Now that we are together, united, determined to make a difference, it’s time to deliver. I’m sure we will, @JoeBiden!”
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WORLD LEADERS ARRIVE FOR DINNER WITH THE QUEEN
Leaders of the G7 began arriving in Bodelva on Friday afternoon ahead of a dinner with several members of the Royal Family this evening.
Queen Elizabeth II will greet the leaders, as will Prince Charles, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, and Prince William and Duchess Kate.
The event will be held at the Eden Project, a game visitor attraction located in a reclaimed china clay pit.
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CRITICS ACCUSE BIDEN OF ‘LAMPOONING HIS OWN NATION’
President Joe Biden has been accused of “Lampooining” the US and showing “breathtaking arrogance” during his meeting with foreign leaders.
Biden has already received a barrage of criticism from GOP lawmakers and activists just two days into his European tour – his first trip abroad as president.
Republican Rep. and gun activist Lauren Boebert even suggested that he “shouldn’t return home.”
Columnist Dominic Green wrote in the New York Post: “The president is reviving the National Lampoon series on his trip to England for the G-7 summit. Too bad it’s his own nation he’s lampooning.”
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BIDEN JOKES ‘EVERYONE IN THE WATER’ DURING BEACH PHOTO-OP
A jovial Joe Biden cracked wise during a beach-side photo-op with the G7 leaders on Friday morning, telling gathered politicians and reporters: “everybody in the water.”
Biden made the joke as he and first lady Jill Biden stood on a raised platform on a Cornish beach with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson.
Biden is well known for his dry humor, having last month told a reporter they could only ask him about the Israel-Hamas conflict if they stood in front of a truck he was test-driving as he accelerated.
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TRUMP TELLS BIDEN ‘DON’T FALL ASLEEP’ DURING PUTIN MEETING
Donald Trump offered President Joe Biden a message of “good luck” ahead of his sure-to-be tense meeting with Russian leader Vladmir Putin next week.
“Good luck to Biden in dealing with President Putin,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
“He then cautioned the Commander-In-Chief – whom he dubbed “Sleepy Joe” before the 2020 election – “Don’t fall asleep during the meeting, and please give him my warmest regards.”