King Charles loses patience at US President Joe Biden during visit to Windsor Castle
King Charles has appeared to lose his patience at US President Joe Biden during his visit to Windsor Castle. See what happened
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King Charles III has appeared to lose his patience and scold a guard while trying to hurry up Joe Biden along during his visit to Windsor Castle.
The US president ignored the King when he tried, and failed, to get him to end his conversation during their inspection of the Welsh Guards in the middle of a welcome ceremony.
Mr Biden, 80, then grabbed the 74-year-old monarch’s arm as they embraced and shook hands, then put his hand on his back during their lap of the quadrangle.
King Charles then appeared to direct his anger at the guard before walking away with the president who has tried to quash allegations he is anti-British.
Mr Biden had dropped in for tea and climate change talks with King Charles on Monday, local time, after a garden meeting with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before a NATO leaders’ summit on Ukraine.
Mr Biden, 80, flew in his Marine One helicopter from Downing Street in central London to Windsor Castle, touching down for a ceremonial welcome from the Welsh Guard of Honour.
The pair smiled and joked during the formalities, and ushered each other around the grounds of the historic castle, before holding talks on climate change.
During the ceremony, the Prince of Wales’s Company of the Welsh Guards gave a Royal Salute, while the US National Anthem was played by the Band of Welsh Guards, and “God Save the King” rang out across the manicured lawns of the stately royal residence west of London, before the two world leaders disappeared inside.
The US commander in chief, dressed in a navy suit, inspected the Guard of Honour while accompanied by the British King, in a blue pinstriped suit, before the pair watched the military guard march past.
They appeared to enjoy several jokes with each other, and at one point the US president put his hand on the King’s back.
The pair sat down for tea in Windsor Castle, before His Majesty showed the US leader an exhibition in the White Drawing Room of items from the Royal Collection relating to the history of the United States of America.
In the Green Drawing Room, the King and Mr Biden then joined participants of the Climate Finance Mobilisation Forum, which took place that morning.
It was Mr Biden’s first meeting with King Charles since he was officially crowned king in May.
The US president did not attend the coronation but was represented by his wife, First Lady Jill Biden.
The couple did attend the state funeral of Charles’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September last year, while Mr Biden visited the late queen at Windsor after the G7 summit in 2021.
King Charles, 74, is a lifelong environmentalist and Mr Biden considers him a “clarion voice” on climate change, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Sunday.
Top financiers and philanthropists are also meeting in Windsor to discuss climate finance to boost support for developing nations to cut carbon emissions.
The UK government said more than $1 trillion (A$1.5tn) is needed by 2030 to help developing economies get on track to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Additional investment, including from the private sector, is required to cut non-CO2 emissions, halt deforestation as well as to adapt and build resilience to climate change.
Mr Biden, who arrived in the UK on Air Force One late Sunday, is heading to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, for the two-day NATO meeting.
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