President Joe Biden’s European trip encountered a shaky start on Monday as he appeared to rely on King Charles III for support moments after arriving at Windsor Castle.
Video footage captured the encounter between Biden and King Charles, showing the 80-year-old president extending his handshake with the King and proceeding to touch the British monarch’s right arm, causing a noticeable reaction from the King.
As the two leaders walked together to a reviewing stand and greeted the forces, Biden placed his hand on Charles’ back. The president’s movement appeared slightly rigid, attributed to his previous foot injury from late 2020, as stated in a medical report from February.
While making physical contact with a member of the royal family is generally discouraged, Buckingham Palace clarified that there are “no obligatory codes of behavior” for meeting a monarch. During the troop review, Biden engaged in conversation with one of the Welsh Guards, while Charles stood to the side, seemingly unable to redirect the President’s attention.
The heads of state convened prior to the NATO leaders’ gathering in Vilnius, Lithuania, scheduled for the following day. Discussions at the NATO meeting centered around the alliance and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
While British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak previously visited Washington, Biden had not yet made a formal state visit to the United Kingdom until this week. Earlier on Monday, Biden and Sunak met at 10 Downing Street over a cup of tea, reaffirming the strong relationship between the US and UK.
The president dismissed persistent rumors about his anti-UK sentiments, stating that the bond between the two nations was “rock solid.” Sunak echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that the US and UK were “two of the firmest allies” in NATO and were committed to doing “everything we can to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security.”
However, in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Biden diverged from his British counterparts by acknowledging that it was “a very difficult decision” to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine. He stressed that it would be “premature” for Ukraine to join NATO while engaged in a conflict with Russia.
“I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” he added.
