First lady Jill Biden on Monday recalled meeting Queen Elizabeth II last year in England, following the death of Prince Philip, the queen’s husband.
The queen had invited both the first lady and President Joe Biden to visit Windsor Castle in June 2021 following the Group of 7 Leaders summit in Cornwall, England. The three spent almost an hour together.
Without revealing the content of their discussions that day, Jill Biden told NBC’s “Today” show the queen wanted to talk about her late husband, who died in April 2021 at the age of 99.
“What I loved about her was that she was really independent,” she said. “We went up to her living room and they said to us, ‘Don’t talk about family.’ So we went up and so the first thing she starts with is family. So Prince Philip had just died recently and I think, you know, she knows Joe. I think she just wanted to talk about her husband.”
The queen and Prince Philip had been married for over 70 years.
Jill Biden also said the queen was interested in talking U.S. politics.
“She poured tea and Joe and I said, ‘Oh, let us help you.’ ‘No,’ you know. ‘You sit there and I’ll get the tea,’” Biden said. “And then she had such curiosity. She wanted to know all about American politics, what was happening. So, she put us at ease.”
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Jill Biden added that the Queen Elizabeth set a “steady leadership” example that people came to admire about her.
“She was very strong and I think that she was steady. And I think that people really appreciate steady leadership,” she said. “And she also had, you know, such grace and such dignity and I think that’s what really people will remember about her.”
Both Jill and Joe Biden issued a lengthy statement after Buckingham Palace announced her death on Thursday, calling her “more than a monarch.”
“She helped make our relationship special … she charmed us with her wit, moved us with her kindness, and generously shared with us her wisdom,” they wrote.
Joe Biden was the 13th U.S. president to meet with the queen during her 70 years on the throne.
The president and the first lady will both attend the queen’s funeral on Sept. 19. The pair are set to leave for London on Saturday, according to Reuters.
