Queen Elizabeth II hosted US President Joe Biden today at Windsor Castle.
It was the Queen's first time meeting with Biden as President, but the gathering was actually far from the first time they had met one another. In fact, it's been nearly 40 years since the pair first connected in 1982. Here's why that meeting happened.
How Queen Elizabeth first met Joe Biden in 1982
The year was 1982. The Queen had been on the UK throne for 30 years, and Joe Biden was serving his 10th year as a senator representing the state of Delaware. She turned 56 that year and Biden turned 40.
Those positions led to the first meeting between the British ruler and the US senator. In 1982, Senator Biden travelled to the UK on a trip sponsored by the British-American Parliamentary Group. He met the Queen while on that visit.
The chance 1980s meeting between the Queen and Biden was unearthed when the White House reviewed the now-President's records from his time in the Senate, according to Politico. There don't appear to be any photos of that meeting.
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The Queen hosts President Joe Biden in 2021
Now, nearly 40 years later, Biden is in the White House and made his first official visit to the UK as President this week. The 2021 G7 Summit was held in Cornwall, after which the Queen invited the Bidens for tea at Windsor Castle.
You can see more pictures and highlights of the Bidens meeting the Queen at Windsor Castle today here.
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