For the better part of a century, the US and UK have enjoyed a so-called “special relationship.” It’s a diplomatic and political tie forged in war and peace, and the special relationship has been strained at times but never broken. The special relationship usually means that the British prime minister is one of the first world leaders to visit a new American president, and it goes both ways – usually one of the first overseas visits a new president makes is to London. But not this year. Joe Biden isn’t a fan of Boris Johnson, and BoJo is still desperate to wipe away the Trump stink from his political life. So President Biden isn’t super-eager to come to the UK any time soon. His first visit will be this summer for the G7 Summit.
Joe Biden will meet the queen and other royals this summer, and we’re betting they’re looking forward to it way, way more than when the bombastic House of Trump descended on Buckingham Palace in June 2019. The queen will host Biden and other world leaders at the Palace before the G7 summit in June, the U.K. Sunday Times reports. She already called Biden to congratulate him prior to the inauguration.
Prince Charles and Camilla will be there too, alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton. Prince Harry is due to be in Britain at some point that month (with or without Meghan), but their attendance is as yet unknown. We very much hope that Princess Anne is there too, having mischievously stolen the scene during Trump’s visit. The idea, the Sunday Times says, is that perennial cementing of the “special relationship” between the U.K. and America, which remains close if not as close as when Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan disappeared off into the sunset on their golf buggy.
The real relationship to watch is between Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Business Insider reports that the Biden administration is wary of Johnson’s ties to Trump.
The one-on-one meeting between the queen and Biden “is set to be her first significant diplomatic engagement after she returns to London,” following her and Prince Philip’s lockdown isolation at Windsor Castle, the Sunday Times says. The G7 will be held in Carbis Bay, on the north coast of the beautiful county of Cornwall, in the south west tip of England.
“The atmosphere is expected to contrast with Donald Trump’s first visit to the U.K. in July 2018, when Charles and William snubbed him, leaving the Queen to meet him alone,” the Sunday Times reports. Biden has also been invited to the House of Commons—which Trump wasn’t.
The Sunday Times said Prince Charles had sent congratulations to Biden, particularly happy that some of his early executive orders focused on climate change and the environment, like rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement.
When Trump visited the U.K. there were huge protests—including the inflatable, diaper-clad, mouth-open Trump baby. He also created a mess close to home for the queen. “The presidential helicopter was said to have left damaging scorch marks on the queen’s prized lawns, much to her dismay,” the Sunday Times reported.
I think it’s kind of funny that the British political and royal systems are now super-eager to distance themselves from Donald Trump and make it sound like they didn’t really welcome Trump with open arms. They did welcome him and they were happy to do so. I get that the Queen specifically was between a rock and a hard place, and that she was asked to roll out the red carpet for Trump and all of that. But I remember all of that sh-t well – no one in Buckingham Palace or Downing Street put up a fight about it. They gleefully welcomed a white supremacist racist into the fold, and then they criticized Meghan and Harry for wanting no part of it. Anyway, I hope President Biden merely gives the Queen a brief moment and then gets down to the work of repairing our NATO alliances and G7 alliances, because Donald Trump ripped all of that apart.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
Wow why didn’t future kings Charles & William ‘snubbing’ Trump make headlines at the time? All I remember is the likes of Piers Morgan dragging Meghan for not being present 3 weeks after giving birth. The other royals were praised for rolling out the red carpet for the Trump show. Except Harry who was blasted for appearing sulky around Trump & Ivanka. Whilst people like Jeremy Corbyn & Sadiq Khan were called losers by the Mail for protesting Trump’s visit, most royals were very much celebrated as diplomatic winners by the press for putting out all stops for Trump. So this new snub angle is interesting.
And Charles congratulating Biden on reversing Trump’s positions on climate change etc. Isn’t this the type of thing they called ‘political’ and foreign interference when it was Meghan & Harry?
EXACTLY!!! Hypocrites all of em! The BRF is as trashy as the BM and Tories. All trash. Trifecta of Trash within the Carnival of So Called Experts.
When Charles and William become King, they will have to host dictators and despots on the request of their government so they better get used to it.
This part stood out because I remember they made a big deal about Meghan being political by snubbing Trump and now they gleefully report that the true snubs were from Charles and William, two future heads of state. The hypocrisy is astounding, but not surprising.
I’d like to see the USA call out government positions based on so-called “god chosen” bloodlines as what they are: outdated, racist, sexist institutions that have no place in the modern world. Plus, the british royal family protects rapists. I think it would set a good example for Biden to refuse to meet with the royal family. Actually, not just britain, but the sexist, racist royal families in Saudi Arabia, Japan, etc., as well. I know that will never happen, but I can still dream of a better, more enlightened world.
@Mrs.Krabapple
The US has no moral high ground to be calling out any country. The world has not forgotten the invasion of Iraq, the shitshow in Libya and other atrocities committed by the US government.
It is not the Queen or Palace’s place to refuse a vist or even argue against it. It is the elected government who makes those decisions and it is the Royal Family’s job to play host. If a Royal doesn’t like it then they are free to abdicate. If we, the people, don’t like what the governemnt does then we are free to kick them out at the next election. I have never voted for Boris or his party, but I don’t have a problem with this system.
Yeah, I don’t blame the Queen or the RF for meeting Trump. They were definitely not happy to do it. The Queen can’t refuse, she is head of state. That would have been a major insult, not just to Trump directly, but to the US generally. It would have caused major problems. The other Royals really had to be cajoled into meeting Trump in his family, and it’s clear from photos they were not happy to be there. Only the Queen really smiled and that’s just part of her job.
And that formal picture with Junior photobombing is the only one that any of the Trump spawn got with the Queen. The Royal family seemed on high alert to make sure the Queen was never photographed standing with Junior, Ivanka, Jared, of Eric, all of whom were desperately trying for such a photo to legitimize themselves.
And yet the Royal Family allowed the press to attack Meghan and Harry for not attending. I get they have to do what the government says but they could have told the press to shut about Meghan and Harry during that time.
As well as not interferening in international politics, they also do not have the right to shut down the free press, no matter how loathsome British tabloids are. They get a free pass on the environment because it simply isn’t that big of a political issue in this country, policies may vary but most people understand the importance of climate change and both major parties ‘believe’ that it is happening. It amazes me that in the US reducing carbon emissions is considered radical.
The BRF weren’t happy about his visit at all. I don’t suppose the government was thrilled given the British public’s clear resistance but Boris was certainly angling for something by playing nice with Brexit looming. The British people were very much against it and there were protests.
It always makes me laugh when I hear about these special relationships though. How often do we hear that in various speeches? How many countries do we have a ‘special relationship’ with and at what point is it no longer special? It’s really nothing more than politicians sucking up to each other.
There is a literal media blackout on William’s affair which includes an injunction preventing even the mention that a blackout exists so let’s not pretend that the BRF does not interfere with the media. They do it all the damn time.
They can get a legal injunction and the press can choose to do not print something, but, outside the law, they cannot tell them what they can and cannot print.
In the UK we have a something called a super injunction that ‘that prevents publication of information that is in issue and also prevents the reporting of the fact that the injunction exists at all.’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super-injunctions_in_English_law
There has been a few high profile cases where wealthy celebrities have used this to stop the press reporting on affairs. See Ryan Giggs (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13503847), thou am not sure it was a super injunction he had.
I’m more speaking to how the press is reporting the events of the Trump visit now compared to at the time. Now that Biden has won& the establishment needs to suck up, the press is keen to highlight a possible royal rebellion by William & Charles against Trump when the press is usually keen to say royals must remain impartial.
As for royals shutting down the press- let’s not act like there isn’t a current media blackout involving one future king or that royals don’t try to suppress reports about wealth like this https://t.co/0G0b0hVLMa?amp=1
Remember how the queen was named in the Panama papers and then poof it wasn’t talked about again? And didn’t the press not talk about Charles and Diana martial problems for a long time? How about william’s indiscretions? Andrew?
In the Ryan Giggs case, among others, it didn’t seem to dawn on folk that an injunction in the English High Court didn’t apply in Scotland, so the story of the super injunction, along with big photos of Ryan, was splashed across the front pages of Scottish papers. Served him right.
What is the Ryan Giggs story?
Jellybean are you suggesting the royals never shut down stories they don’t like? It sure seems like they do esp. re: Andrew. Additionally they are not neutral in terms of the “free press,” they constantly plant stories and leak negative rumors … as we saw with Meghan. How free is a press if it’s dominated by a partisan kingmaker like Murdoch? I don’t have a rose-colored view of the British trash tabloids lol.
Yeah the royals can absolutely shut down stories in the press if they want – and they do all the time. It’s why there aren’t that many stories about Andrew, no stories about William’s affairs or whether william is living at Sandringham, no stories about the queen’s enormous wealth while also asking for more money for BP, and so on. Heck just this summer KP got parts of the Tatler article removed.
Here, a statement from a palace source saying “considering the duchess of Sussex is on maternity leave as she has just given birth, there is no expectation of her attending any of these events and neither the queen nor the prince of Wales has asked her to do so as they respect this special time in her life.”
But they didn’t do that, they did? They fed her to the wolves instead.
Lol at the suggestion that the royals support a free press. Andrew being a nonentity over there despite the fact the he is wanted by American and French authorities should put the kibosh on the idea that the royal family believes in free press. That was funny though.
I mean.. there was that leak of the reporter who said ABC refused to run a story about Prince Andrew & Virginia Guiffre because
BP had threatened about access to Kate & William.
I think James Whittaker talked about how the palace suppressed stories about Diana’s eating disorder& the problems in the Wales marriage for years until the Morton book. Royals definitely do shut press stories down
In the case of Meghan’s absence during Trump’s visit, BP could have explained she was on maternity leave. They were quick to give explanation when it looked like Anne had refused to greet Trump in the greeting line.
I’d like like to see Biden ask the queen when Andrew will be cooperating with the FBI.
“They also do not have the right to shut down the free press”
Let’s ignore the veracity of that statement for a minute. They didn’t need to try to muzzle the press with political force; they could have just said on background with a source that Meghan wasn’t attending as she literally just gave birth and there is a lot of prep that goes into attending a state dinner like this that a woman who gave birth only a couple weeks before would not be up to do. They also let Harry get written as ‘snubbing’ Trump when he did his job of babysitting Ivanka while William and Kate also went out of their way to NOT be photographed with Trump a snub that they all now seem to think it is in their best interest to talk about now that Trump is gone.
To the veracity of thaf statement please see Prince William’s “human rights” to allegedly creep without the press talking about it or the new Guardian article stating that the Queen’s lawyers lobbied Parliment to change law so that her personal wealth and business deals could never be made public. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/07/revealed-queen-lobbied-for-change-in-law-to-hide-her-private-wealth
Saw that The Guardian came for the Queen with that story. Expect another H&M bomb to drop as a distraction.
What I don’t I understand is WHY American presidents visit the royal family. If the royals aren’t supposed to make any political statements, then why bother? It seems like a waste of the President’s time.
The British monarch is the official head of state of the United Kingdom — in Wikipedia’s words, “the public persona who officially embodies a state in its unity and legitimacy.” The Prime Minister is the official head of government. Here in the USA, the head of state and the head of government are one and the same — the President. So President Biden’s visit to Buckingham Palace is consonant with his position as head of state. And just by looking at that photo of him buttoning his jacket, he’s going to embody and represent the unity and legitimacy of the United States a hell of a lot better than that bloated orange carbuncle who came before. I’d purely love to see Biden in white tie; I’ll bet he’ll look spectacular.
Thank you, booboocita. I get that the monarch is the head of state, but I still don’t understand why it’s not considered a waste of time. Meeting with the Prime Minister, I totally understand. But it seems like meeting with the queen is just . . . tradition, but no substance to it. Again, seems like a waste of time.
Yes they are part of gov
The British establishment wanted Trump to win the election and I’m sure the Biden Administration knows that. They have every right to view the UK government and the Queen with suspicion.
Yep – they seemed to think Trump would have given them a good deal but we all know that would never have happened even thou Trump is no EU fan.
Biden is going to want to visit Ireland first.
They would be very pleased to have him! I remember when he was declared the winner, one of the main Irish news stations played a clip of him reading his favorite poem by Seamus Haney (sp?), “History says, don’t hope on this side of the grave….”. Called him a “proud Irish-American,” which he is. They were happy to have Clinton and Obama, both of whom have Irish ancestry, too. Everyone talks about the Special Relationship between the US and England, but we have one with Ireland too. As an American I actually prefer visiting Ireland and I relate more to Irish people. Maybe it’s just me.
Ireland is on my bucket list of countries to visit. I hope I can do so during the Biden presidency.
My petty little heart hopes that Harry and Joe/Jill have a meeting about veterans sometime before the presidential visit to the UK.
This!
I kind of assumed they would!
The EU is giving England the freedom they wanted, now England is begging to remain in the EU for two more years.
All those trucks stuck on the motorway, because France claimed they didn’t have the correct papers, and the Netherlands stopping vehicles from England bringing their own lunch, oops they can’t bring meat in that’s not from the EU.
If Boris think the US, is going to give him a deal and undercut their EU deals, not going to happen.
Biden is of Irish decent, and he warmed Boris not to change the Good Friday Agreement.
I hope Biden rips the EU a new one over the Good Friday agreement as last week when they were fighting with AstraZeneca over vaccines they for a few hours put a hard border on NI putting the GF agreement in jeopardy (they invoked article 16). Am no fan of the current UK gov but imagine the outrage from Biden if BoJo pulled a stunt like that, when the EU did it – it was crickets from the WH. And yes I know they quickly backed down but the EU Commission showed their ass and that they are not afraid to use article 16 of the GF agreement as a protectionist tool (which was their fear of the UK doing). The only positive thing that came out of that situation was that the UK, RI and NI gov’s were all in agreement in their condemnation of the EU stunt – pretty much a first.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/julian-smith-eu-article-16-covid-vaccines-trumpian-act-b918017.html
Sadly and predictably BoJo is using this EU cockup to demand an extension.
Yeah I am diehard remainer, and I was absolutely horrified at the EU last week. To their credit though they reversed course swiftly (unlike the UK on any bad decision they’ve made). Still has left me with anxiety on how quickly NI was used as a pawn in a game we never wanted or voted for, the ramifications of which we have felt already (loyalist paramilitary show of strength in East Belfast, sectarian policing of nationalist areas).
They only swiftly backed down when all 3 gov’s condemned the move, esp as the RI PM apparently called Ursula and ripped her a new one.
I can only imagine how it must be affecting everyone in NI, it has rattled an already fragile peace and the EU has to be held accountable for that, rather than being allowed to slink away with a red face. It’s now led to calls for BoJo to invoke it – crazy crazy stuff. Apparently a petition for that has reached about 100.000 signatures. The EU Commission lit a fire that will take some time and diplomacy to put out if possible.
Stay safe and I hope things calm down.
Why would Biden rip the EU when the EU is protecting Ireland, one of their member nations?
They weren’t protecting RI, esp as they didn’t even tell RI that they were invoking it – it was done purely to bully AZ into diverting vaccine stocks from the UK plant to the EU to make up for a shortfall in the delivery to the EU.
Biden (and most of the US congress) have been very vocal about not returning to having a hard border between RI and NI as it’s seen as detrimental to the GF agreement – he made public comments last year when the UK had a clause about borders in the initial proposal. After pressure BoJo withdrew it but I guess it’s ok for the EU to ignore and put the GF agreement in jeopardy and break international law by putting up a hard border between the 2 countries.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54171571
Also, the EU-US relationship is not just going to revert to how it was pre Trump. The EU is facing many challenges – Covid and particularly the vaccine rollout has shone a spotlight on issues that the EU has to overcome. Also the relationships that the EU is developing with China and Russia could put it into direct conflict with the US. Biden may not ‘love’ Bojo but I’m sure he’s not going to be turning his back – particularly over Harry and Meghan which seems to be the conclusion drawn on this site – on any potential allies during this current, very challenging time.
Conclusion would have to be most people agreeing, and that was not the case.
Biden is going to put America’s interest first, he is known for crossing the aisle in the Senate to get a deal done.
I’m not seeing many people here say that Biden will completely turn his back on Johnson. It makes no sense and goes against how Biden has worked his entire political career. What I AM seeing is people saying that Biden is not going to be all buddy buddy with Johnson bonding over who can run tbeir country into the ground with horrible policies, a la Trump.
Biden will be cordial and respectful, as a president and head of state should be. But he also has an iron will and a mandate to make changes for the better for this country. BoJo will learn that common courtesy doesn’t equal capitulation.
The EU needs to be done with it and make the UK leave. This has been dragging out for long enough. They wanted “freedom” now they have it and all of a sudden the uk wants to stick around for two more years after pissing on the EU. I guess things weren’t so bad after all. This is what happens when you run a campaign on pure propaganda in regards to Brexit.
It’s fascinating how the British media and the Royal family collude to create their own reality. All this talk in recent weeks about the G7 and how the family is going to greet President Biden when it hasn’t been confirmed that the G7 is going to be in person. There is a chance that it will be virtual. All this talk as if there isn’t a pandemic. The UK has the highest infection rate in the world and they just discovered a second UK mutation. None of the other world leaders are discussing traveling for the summit. While in the UK; they are discussing an in person summit with receptions and trooping in June as if these things can just occur in a vacuum. Even with a vaccine; world leader’s engaging in international travel to meet in person seems unwise. The Media and the family are eager to pretend that the UK not the EU is a priority for the Biden administration.
F Boris. That’s all I have. I hope Biden does make it clear that what’s happened in recent years will not be forgotten. Boris is a dangerous populist who has blood on his hands due to his refusal to make tough calls over Covid.
In other news, on Friday I discovered that my Brexit-voting aunt is now complaining that she can’t move her furniture to the house she bought in Portugal without paying export duties. Hahahahahaha! If only there was some model which allowed for the free movement of goods and people…
That is almost as funny as Brits complaining when they were stuck in customs at Schiphol Airport.
This is a desperate attempt on the part of Boris Johnson and the Conservative party who believe Trump would have a second term to allow them to achieve a trade deal following Brexit. This is why they have were so comfortable expressing theirs racisms towards the Obamas and their disdain for Biden. With this visit they hoped like magically experience that their very close connection with the Trump administration will be forgotten.
Sorry, Windsors are not a charismatic secret weapons , especially if they would will charm have an Irish American President and a afro-american vice-president who has an Indian and Jamaican heritage .I bet one of them
will come out of her jewelry closet a racist and colonial jewelry or painting to be passive aggressive towards Harris.
Cue Princess Michael and her blackamoor brooch.
You know that cow has a whole mess of those brooches. She probably has African and Indian ones. She can wear both with another pursed lip smirk. What a megabitch
She is a pitiful piece of work. It must be so miserable to be her.
Love that there’s a dog water bowl in the corner of the top picture next to trump. Haha how did I not see this before it’s great.
LOL!
“Your majesty, where would you like your photo with the trumps?”
“Next to the dog bowl!”
I for one am looking forward to a future Biden White House State Dinner to which Harry and Meghan receive an invitation and end up stealing the show. I have goosebumps just thinking about it!
While this is my dream I doubt that it would happen.
A state dinner is for a foreign head of state. The only instance I can see them being invited is if the dinner is in Charles’ honor, and that would just get spun as them being hangers-on.
Very true TCBC but I’m still going to imagine Meghan in a tiara and gown stealing the show!
Frequently guests at state dinners are just important friends of the president or important donors. They don’t have to be directly relevant to the guest of honor other than being important.
This is not true. State dinners in the US regularly have public figures, celebrities, people in the arts etc. in attendance who have no connection to politics. One quick example is Russell Wilson and Ciara attending the state dinnner for Japan during the Obama era. Do a search and you will find tons more examples. Harry and Meghan attending one would not be out of the ordinary, and actually makes sense in light of the work they want to do.
Depending who the dinner is for, I could see them being invited as guests.
Biden will wear a tux much better than loser former president
Honestly! Look at the state of that mook in his ill-fitting tux. He looks (as he is) like a ridiculous poser.
God yes. That was certainly a look trump attempted there.
Those photos always remind me of a cartoon that I can’t place, but it’s a big guy stuffed in a tux with a monocle or something. The way he stands too, leaning forward all weird.
Monopoly man? I think he leans forward is because of lifts in his shoes.
What I loved from the article https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/julian-smith-eu-article-16-covid-vaccines-trumpian-act-b918017.html was the use of the phrase “Trumpian act” to mean an unconsidered and excessive response. Or would you define it differently? Suggestions appreciated. In any case, I hope this become a thing – what a fitting legacy.
They need the good press by association, but I doubt Biden will give them much.
Part of me thinks Kate will start SWFing Jill and how she approaches and supports early child development, motherhood and education.
That would take too much effort and actual caring on Kate’s part. Clothing and furniture placement seem to be the only concrete copying.
Biden and Harris + the RF will always play nice. The former team may be fond of Harry and Meghan but they’re not that invested in their family affairs to snub them. We’ll see Kate grinning around, the royals acting as if they respect Harris, and it’ll generally be positive press for them. Which means that they’ll make a swipe and Harry & Meghan for some silly reason.
Meghan and Harry’s absence at said state dinner will be noticed and commented upon. Another lost opportunity to build bridges between the us and uk. It’s a bad look for the uk that the most ideal bridge builder between the 2 countries is conspicuously absent doe to being bullied out of the country. There’s no explaining that away. If they don’t talk about it in the UK, it will be talked about around the world.
But Harris won’t be going to the UK with Biden, right? Isn’t that sort of what we need a VP for, to stay here at home in case something happens?
Boris will never be able to get that association stink off. He knows what he did, even after he acknowledged Biden’s win he was trying to side step questions about his friendship with bigly. He had uncombed hair on the floor of parliament and I thought to myself “how embarrassing that England’s PM looks like a rumpled mess”.
As for the Queen, always got the feeling that she was no Trump booster. He walked in front of her at one point because he has no manners to speak of and the look on her face spoke volumes. The English have this thing about rudeness, they’d rather walk a plank over a pool of sharks than be impolite. My mother is a good example of that. If she doesn’t like someone, she’ll shake their hand and be polite anyway but inside it’s another matter. She often tells me: “always be a lady, shake their hand, and say hello how are you even if you can’t stand them”. She laughed when I gave her that book “very British problems” because a lot of it is very true.
According to rumour, the dishevelled look is carefully calculated. Someone I know who works in London says he has been seen deliberately messing up his hair before he goes on camera. Apparently in day to day life he looks much more normal.
There is a huuuuge bomb article on Mean Liz in Guardian today. About her lobbying the law to be able to hide info on her private wealth. Doesn’t look good and I am enjoying it
Thanks for the referral! Fascinating article. Petty Betty really showed her azz there …
If Meghan has been absent for the reason we all think i highly doubt she or Harry for that matter will be coming to the UK so the British Media should let go of that fantasy.
Also speaking of the British Media: did yall see that terrible photoshop ‘parody’ that GQ UK did of Biden? So messy
The BRF need to worry that a Biden Justice Dept will push harder for Andrew. When the trip happens (don’t see if COVID is still going strong in June) some US press will be asking the WH press secretary about the Sussexes and Andrew. I think the year review was tabled because of fear of how the new US government may take vindictive actions against Meghan, a US citizen.
Wait, what? Vindictive action against Meghan by the new US government?
No, the writer means the UK’s vindictive actions.
My favorite line is: “The real relationship to watch is between Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson”
Because the royal family is of no consequence whatsoever.
They add no value. They are a waste of Biden’s time.
I doubt that proudly Irish-American, practicing Catholic Joe Biden has too much regard for or interest in the Royals.
Yup
A BBC reporter asked Mr Biden for a comment, to which the President replied: “The BBC? I’m Irish!”
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18855650.im-irish-us-president-elect-joe-biden-cheeky-dig-bbc/
omg that was hilarious
I know it’s too much to hope for, but I do hope the Biden administration supports Irish reunification and the Scottish independence.
Donald Trump can’t wear a tuxedo for shit. He looks even. more ridiculous than usual.
I really wish monarchy as a form of government would just vacate the premises, tbh. I can’t believe it has lasted this long.
DOWN WITH MONARCHY
The Cambridge children or maybe just George will be trotted out to meet Biden.
Carbis Bay is absolutely beautiful…great spot for G7.