Will Queen Elizabeth treat Joe Biden differently from Donald Trump? Monarch may host POTUS ahead of G7 summit
President Joe Biden will reportedly meet Queen Elizabeth this summer at Buckingham Palace ahead of the G7 summit. Multiple reports suggest this will be the Queen's "soft return" to public duties and the meeting with Biden is to cement a solid relationship between the two countries. The meeting, according to The Sunday Times, will also include other world leaders set to attend the summit and is being dubbed as a "soft power" reception. The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will reportedly be present.
Biden had already been sent a message of support by the Queen following his swearing-in as the 46th POTUS on January 20. While the details of the message are still not public knowledge, it was also reported that Prince Charles has sent out a message to the new President. He was reportedly "delighted that one of Biden’s first acts as president was signing a series of executive orders addressing climate change and the environment, overturning many of Trump’s policies,” according to the report.
How will this meeting be different?
Hopefully, there won't be a repeat of the royal snub that happened in 2018 when former President Donald Trump visited the UK. According to The Sunday Times, Prince Charles and Prince William refused to meet the US president while he was in England. A Downing Street source also added: "This was always going to be just the Queen."
"This business of Prince Charles and Prince William not being there for the Trump visit was a snub," an anonymous source told. "They simply refused to attend. It’s a very, very unusual thing for the Queen to be there on her own. Usually, she is accompanied by somebody. Prince Charles has been substituting for Philip a lot recently." According to a Buckingham Palace insider, due to the nature of the presidential couple's "working visit", it is not protocol for all members of the royal family to attend.
Trump and former First Lady Melania had tea with only the Queen at Windsor Castle. The visit was already termed controversial when Trump walked in front of the Queen as they inspected the guards. Town and Country Mag called it "a clear break in etiquette if not strict protocol."
Royal Central wrote Biden would also enjoy the chance of visiting the House of Commons as a personal invite as Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House has already sent the letter. Previously, Barack Obama was awarded the rare honor of speaking at Westminster Hall in 2011, and Trump was personally vetoed for the same by the House's previous speaker.
Add to this Trump's sour history with the Royal family starting off with his courting of Princess Diana. He also called global warming a hoax, especially with Prince Charles being vocal and passionate about the cause. Watch this space for more updates on the potential meeting between the Queen and Biden.
