Queen Elizabeth II’s successor, King Charles, reportedly had a moment of impatience when President Joe Biden took some time during their meeting at Windsor Castle.
The 80-year-old US leader was attending his first meeting with the 74-year-old British monarch since Charles was crowned in May of 2023. Biden was having some difficulty moving along during their inspection of the Welsh Guards in the midst of the welcome ceremony.
President Biden refused to depart, grabbing Charles’ arm and firmly placing his hand on the monarch’s back. Charles had to pause for the president’s SUV to arrive which caused an awkward moment.
At one point, the newly crowned king attempted to encourage Biden to keep walking while conversing with one of the guards. Unfortunately, the Daily Mail reports Charles might have directed his apparent anger at the guard before continuing to move along with the president.
Mr Biden is only in London for a 24-hour visit, which included having tea with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing St. The president did not attend the coronation of Charles, instead sending First Lady Jill and granddaughter Finnegan.
Entering the White Drawing Room, Biden was able to view items from the Royal Collection relating to the United States. The two ended their meeting by joining the Climate Finance Mobilisation Forum in the Green Drawing Room.
Since the summit, Charles and Mr Biden had met at the COP26 climate change summit in November of 2022; in which the US leader mentioned his respect for the king’s activism. Biden offered Charles the acknowledgement, “We need you badly.” To which Charles replied “You are very kind for saying that.”
By the time the visit had ended, the president had boarded Air Force One at Stansted Airport, and left for the NATO summit in Lithuania.
Overall, the meeting between King Charles and President Joe Biden seemed to progress for the most part despite the awkward moments. Charles gained respect for his recently acquired crown, as he demonstrated patience in his attempt to move along during their conversation. As for Biden, the admiration for Charles’ activism has evidently been felt since the November summit. The US leader continued to put the monarch in his place during their brief meeting, leaving King Charles with all the respect necessary for a newly crowned king.
Biden violated protocol several times, which pissed off Charles III
During a meeting with US President Joe Biden at Windsor Palace, Charles III lost patience and scolded the guard, writes DaiIy MaiI. The head of the United States stopped and began to convince the guardsman that… pic.twitter.com/mcRCkmTlb6
— Spriter Team (@SpriterTeam) July 10, 2023
