Queen 'to meet US president Joe Biden face-to-face' next month

Watch: The Queen visits aircraft carrier ahead of deployment

The Queen will meet US president Joe Biden face-to-face when he is in the UK for the G7 summit in June, according to reports.

Biden will be in Cornwall for the G7 gathering, and CNN has reported that a US official has claimed the White House is preparing for the president to meet the monarch as part of the trip.

It's not thought Biden has met the Queen before, but he is friends with her grandson, Prince Harry, and offered him and Meghan Markle public support after their explosive claims made in the interview with Oprah Winfrey in March.

Biden and Harry have shared a link over the armed forces, and the president and first lady, Dr Jill Biden, were supportive of the royal's Invictus Games, attending them on multiple occasions.

Biden has also met Prince Charles when the royal and Camilla were in Washington DC in 2015. Biden was vice president to Barack Obama at the time.

Read more: Prince William and Kate revisit university haunts as they enjoy harbourside fish and chips

Biden will be the 15th president the Queen has worked with in her 69-year reign.

Her first was Harry S Truman and she hosted Biden's predecessor Donald Trump when he attended on a state visit in June 2019, in the last days of Theresa May's leadership.

The Queen, 95, sent Biden a private message of congratulations after he won the November 2020 election, as is customary from the head of state.

And the Bidens sent their condolences to the Queen when her husband of more than 70 years, Prince Philip, died in April.

The Bidens said they were keeping the Royal Family "in our hearts during this time".

In March, Biden offered his support to Harry and his wife Meghan after they recounted their experience of life inside the palace while they were senior working royals, particularly as Meghan said she had suffered suicidal thoughts while pregnant with their son Archie.

Watch: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge host NHS staff at cinema

Read more: Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey to reunite for another interview after documentary success

Biden's press spokesman Jen Psaki said at the time: "For anyone to come forward and speak about their own struggles with mental health, and tell their own personal story, that takes courage.

"And that's certainly something the president believes. And he's talked about the importance of investing in these areas.”

She added: "We have a strong and abiding relationship with the British people and a special partnership with the government of the United Kingdom on a range of issues, and that will continue."

The meeting of the heads of state will also confirm the Queen's intentions to keep working despite her age and in the wake of her husband's death.

She was pictured in Portsmouth over the weekend, her first solo engagement since her husband died outside of Windsor Castle.

It was the furthest she has travelled on an official engagement for some time.

Read more: Camilla praises the power of words after 'challenging year' as she opens Hay Festival

Prince Charles and Camilla accompanied her to the state opening of parliament in London, but for the first time the consort's chair was removed from the House of Lords, and she gave the Queen's speech without anyone next to her.

Harry is to reunite with Winfrey for a third interview on 28 May, which will stream on Apple TV+, following the success of their mental health documentary series, The Me You Can't See.

In the five part series, Harry made more claims about royal life, saying he was neglected by family members.

In a follow-up 'town hall' conversation, Harry is thought to be preparing to speak even more about his mental health journey.

A post on the Sussexes' Archewell website read: "In The Me You Can’t See: A Path Forward, Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey reunite with participants and experts from the series for a thought-provoking, wide-ranging discussion to build on their initial conversations around mental health and well-being.

"The subjects go deeper into their own stories from the series, the experts share their guidance, and together they begin to answer the critical question: 'Where do we go from here?'"

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