Biden describes queen as “extremely gracious,” says she reminds him of his mother

President Biden described Queen Elizabeth as an “extremely gracious” woman who reminds him of his mother after meeting her at Windsor Castle. 

“We had a great talk,” he said. 

He said she wanted to know about Vladimir Putin, whom Biden will meet next week, and Xi Jinping, the Chinese president. 

Speaking at Heathrow Airport before departing the UK, Biden said he wished he could have spoken to the Queen for longer. 

“She was very generous,” Biden said. He said he did not think she’d be insulted if he said she “reminded me of my mother in terms of the look of her and the generosity.”

Biden said they compared notes on living in Windsor Castle versus the White House. She noted the end of the castle they met on is private, while the other end allows public visitors. 

Asked if he’d invited her to the White House, Biden said he had. 

He was speaking before departing the United Kingdom after four nights in the country. He attended the G7 summit, met for one-on-one talks with at least four leaders and held a private audience with Queen Elizabeth II. 

Before boarding Air Force One, the President spoke for a while on the tarmac with some guests and then bid farewell to the first lady, who is returning to Washington. 

“Take good care of her,” he called out to Yael Lempert, the current top US diplomat in London.