Biden goes to mass, has tea with the queen, flies to Brussels

President Biden wrapped up a bonhomous Group of Seven summit in Cornwall, England, and had tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on Sunday, but like many Catholics, he began the day at mass.
"I think gobsmacked is probably a very true word," Annie Fitzpatrick, 58, told The Associated Press after Sunday mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in St. Ives. "About 10 minutes into the service the doors opened up and President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden walked in and just sat in the pew just across from me." Biden "quietly got on with his prayer like everyone was doing," she added, and then he "looked around and said peace be with you, and I was one of them so I'm delighted. I'm not sure I will ever get over this moment completely."
After the G7 summit concluded, the Bidens took Air Force One to Heathrow, then boarded Marine One for a short helicopter ride to Windsor Castle. Biden inspected the Guard of Honor, stood next to the queen and the first lady while a band played the U.S. and British national anthems, then went inside for tea. The Bidens spent about 40 minutes inside the castle, and their hourlong visit ran about 10 minutes over schedule, Politico reports. There were no visible breaches of protocol.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden was effusive afterward. "I don't think she'd be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother, the look of her and just the generosity," Biden, 78, said of the queen, who turned 95 on Saturday. "She's extremely gracious. That's not surprising, but we had a great talk." He said the queen asked about China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin, and he invited her to the White House. A royal historian told CNN the queen is unlikely to leave Britain again.
The Bidens then flew to London, where the first lady returned to the U.S. while the president traveled on to a NATO summit in Brussels.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Gold tops $4K per ounce, signaling financial unease
Speed Read Investors are worried about President Donald Trump’s trade war
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-off
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
October 8 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include evidence* of what causes autism, Donald Trump's enemy within and a CBS sacrifice
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-off
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US