Prez Joe Biden Meets King Charles III in a Majestic Meeting at Windsor Castle: A Monumental Moment of Diplomacy and Regal Prestige
President Joe Biden and King Charles III, the new British monarch, had their first meeting since the king’s coronation on Monday. The two leaders, who both waited a long time to reach the pinnacle of their careers, discussed global challenges and climate change at Windsor Castle. Biden, who is on a European tour, also met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London before heading to Lithuania for a NATO summit.
Here are some key points from his meeting with King Charles III:
A royal welcome for the US president
Biden, 80, and King Charles III, 74, started their meeting with a quintessential English tradition: breakfast tea at Windsor Castle. Biden, who was elected to the Senate in 1972 and ran for president three times before winning in 2020, became the oldest president in US history when he took office.
King Charles III waited 70 years − longer than any heir apparent in British royal history − to take the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in April. She was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. The two men have very different backgrounds: Biden grew up in a working-class Irish Catholic family in Wilmington, Delaware, while King Charles III was born into privilege as the son of a queen who loved horses and dogs.
The US president received a royal salute at Windsor Castle, where red-jacketed Welsh Guards played the American national anthem. He also inspected the honor guard with King Charles III and put his arm around him in a friendly gesture.
A focus on climate change and China
The main topic of their conversation was climate change, an issue that King Charles III has been passionate about for decades as a prince and an environmentalist. “It went well,” Biden told reporters after arriving in Lithuania, later tweeting: “It was an honor meeting with His Majesty this morning for a wide-ranging discussion on the global challenges facing our nations.”
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Biden and King Charles III also talked about China and shared stories from the past at Windsor Castle. The White House said the meeting “underscored the strength of the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom and the friendship between our people.”
Former Sen. John Kerry, Biden’s special envoy on climate, was present for the meeting. Afterward, Biden and King Charles III also met with a group of philanthropists and investors who are working to mobilize finance to address the climate crisis, the White House said.
Why Biden skipped the coronation
The meeting at Windsor Castle was also part of Biden’s promise to see the new king after he missed his coronation in May. He sent first lady Jill Biden to represent him at the historic event instead.
Some media outlets speculated that Biden’s decision was a snub or a sign of his anti-British sentiment, especially among conservatives. Some wondered if it had to do with his Irish heritage or his opposition to Brexit. However, historians say there is a simpler explanation: No American president has ever attended a coronation ceremony for a British monarch. It’s not a tradition.
“I certainly don’t view it as a snub on President Biden’s part,” Laura Beers, a professor of history at American University who specializes in modern Britain, told the BBC in April. “He’s not going because no American president has ever gone to a coronation, so why start in the 21st century.”
An Irishman meets an English king
Biden, who often talks about his Irish roots, caused some controversy during his trip to Ireland in April. He mistakenly referred to “Black and Tans,” a derogatory name for British forces who fought against Irish rebels in the 1920s, when he meant to praise his cousin Rob Kearney, an Irish rugby player who beat New Zealand’s All Blacks team in 2016.The White House later corrected Biden.
He also joked about his English ancestry, saying that his father’s “saving grace” was having some Irish relatives from Galway. “You know, Biden is English. I hate to tell you that. I don’t hate to – I’m joking – but it’s true,” he said.”All the times President Joe Biden has shown disdain for his UK heritage,” The Daily Mail wrote at the time. However, there were no signs of hostility between Biden and King Charles III on Monday.
A long history of royal-presidential meetings
King Charles III is no stranger to meeting US presidents. He has been doing so since he was a child. He has met Trump, Obama, both Bushes, Clinton, Reagan, Carter and more. He has also met Biden several times before. Their most recent encounter was in November 2021 at the COP26 U.N. climate summit in Scotland.