Breaking

'Jill from Philly' meets the Queen - CNN
Jun 10, 2021 3 mins, 27 secs
Yet Biden has not had withering bouts of nervousness, nor has she scrutinized the choreography of royal protocol, two people familiar with the first lady's thinking in the run-up to the trip tell CNN.

"Put her in a palace with a Queen, or wherever you want, she's 'Jill from Philly,' " says one longtime acquaintance of Biden, when asked if the first lady might maintain her casualness while in the presence of one of the most formally nuanced people in the world.

Internally, embracing her down-home roots is fine, but externally, meeting Queen Elizabeth II involves a curtsy, speaking only when spoken to, and making sure the royal is always leading the encounter, whether she sits or stands or walks -- the guest does so only after Her Royal Majesty.

The first lady and President Joe Biden will meet with the Queen on Sunday at Windsor Castle, according to a statement from the first lady's office.

She just does what she feels." (Conversely, Joe Biden will be the 12th US President the Queen has met during her 69-year reign -- she likely already knows where to stand.)

A State Department official who worked in the protocol office during previous administrations notes the instructions from the Palace about world leader visits is "rigorous." The State Department will send memos to the East Wing staff in advance about particularities with a visit, passed along from the Palace, as well as detailed outlines of each person the first lady might come in contact with, what their role is and how to address said person.

Biden is seeking to be far more accessible and relatable than most of her predecessors, with the exception of Michelle Obama who had a similar approach," says historian Kate Andersen Brower, author of "First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies," of Biden's first overseas visit as first lady.

A White House official tells CNN the first lady will "engage in several substantive events, independent from the President."

Though Biden's schedule includes time with leader spouses for planned G7 activities -- a common occurrence at summits such as these -- it also makes time for at least three separate, solo events, two of which involve promoting Joining Forces, her initiative that helps military families.

On Friday, there is a rumored meet-up for Biden with the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.

They met in 2012 during an event for wounded warriors at the British Ambassador's residence in Washington when Biden was second lady.

(In 2016, then-Vice President Joe Biden joked about being jealous of his wife's friendship with the young royal, saying to the press, "Jill went to London for the last Games. She spent too much damn time with Prince Harry!")

Finally, on Sunday, post-Queen, Biden has another solo outing, this one confirmed by her office, to meet with British veterans who participated in Walk of America, a 2018 expedition for which Biden served as patron.

Led by the group Walking for the Wounded, three veterans from the United States and three from the UK walked 1,000 miles across America, sharing stories of fellow service members wounded or injured during their time in the military.

The White House official says outside of Biden's primary participation on the trip as "supportive spouse," and her "ceremonial role of first lady, she intends to use her platform abroad as she has been doing at home."

"This type of foreign trip might have some new trappings, but the ritual is familiar to Jill Biden," says one of the people familiar with her thinking.

"And I think she will not wear anything as expensive and unattainable as Melania often wore."

One of the people familiar with Biden's mindset says that "caring too much about fashion is not her thing." This person also says many of the first lady's most expensive items carry personal value and were bestowed as gifts, such as the Valentino tote bag customized with portraits of her two German Shepherds, Champ and Major.

That's because of who she is, but also because of the pandemic and the last four years when image outweighed substance," says Brower, who adds, however, as first lady, visual cues matter.

RECENT NEWS

SUBSCRIBE

Get monthly updates and free resources.

CONNECT WITH US

© Copyright 2024 365NEWSX - All RIGHTS RESERVED