Queen to host Joe and Jill Biden for tea at Windsor Castle

Watch: Queen Elizabeth's history with US Presidents

The Queen will host Joe Biden and his wife Dr Jill Biden for tea at Windsor Castle on Sunday, while the US president is in the UK for the G7 summit.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen will meet the couple who are the 14th president and first lady she has worked with during her near-70 year reign.

The palace said the Queen would greet the Bidens at the dais in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle, where there will be a Guard of Honour formed of The Queen’s Company First Battalion Grenadier Guards.

There will be a royal salute and the US national anthem will play.

The palace statement added: "The President will then accompany the Officer Commanding the Guard of Honour, Major James Taylor, and Major General Christopher Ghika, to inspect the Guard of Honour, before returning to the dais to watch the military march past alongside The Queen and the First Lady.

"The President and the First Lady will then join Her Majesty for tea in the Castle."

NEWQUAY, ENGLAND - JUNE 09: U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden react upon arrival at Cornwall Airport Newquay, on June 9, 2021 near Newquay, Cornwall, England. On June 11, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host the Group of Seven leaders at a three-day summit in Cornwall, as the wealthiest nations look to chart a course for recovery from the global pandemic. (Photo by Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
US president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arriving at Cornwall Airport Newquay. (WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool via Getty Images)

Biden will be the 13th president the Queen has met, as she did not meet Lyndon B Johnson when he was serving, or before his death.

The Queen has been living in Windsor Castle since March 2020, when she was moved there for her safety because of the coronavirus pandemic.

However she has hosted a number of US presidents there, including Donald Trump in 2018.

In 2016, the Obamas visited her at Windsor Castle, and in 2008 she hosted George W Bush and his wife.

In 1982 she hosted Ronald and Nancy Reagan there.

The engagement comes on a busy weekend for the Queen, who will mark her official birthday on Saturday with a scaled back Trooping the Colour.

For the second year in a row the full scale event had to be cancelled, with a miniature version happening in the Quadrangle at Windsor instead.

This year, the Queen will be joined by her cousin the Duke of Kent.

EMBARGOED TO 2200 WEDNESDAY JUNE 9 Queen Elizabeth II in the gardens of Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, where she received a Duke of Edinburgh rose, given to her by the Royal Horticultural Society. The newly bred deep pink commemorative rose from Harkness Roses has officially been named in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh. A royalty from the sale of each rose will go to The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Living Legacy Fund which will give more young people the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Picture date: Wednesday June 2, 2021. The Duke, who died in April this year, would have celebrated his 100th birthday on June 10th.
The Queen in the gardens of Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, where she received a Duke of Edinburgh rose, given to her by the Royal Horticultural Society. (PA Images) (PA)

The Bidens' trip to the castle will likely look similar to Trump's 2018 trip, which was classed as a working visit and not a state visit.

Trump was given a state visit the following year, which included a dinner with the Queen.

During his 2018 visit to Windsor Castle, the Queen inspected the Guard of Honour alongside Trump, leading to an awkward moment when he stepped in front of her.

However, it does not appear the Queen will join the inspection, according to the statement from the palace, with Biden.

Dr Biden is returning home to the US after the visit with the Queen, while the US president will fly to Europe.

The Queen is proving to be keen to continue her work as head of state despite being newly widowed and recently marking her 95th birthday.

She has continued with her virtual audiences and Buckingham Palace recently confirmed that the delayed investiture ceremonies would be returning after being postponed since early 2020.

Watch: Queen marks what would have been Prince Philip's 100th birthday with planting of commemorative rose

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