The word ‘awks’ came to mind for many on Sunday (18 September) when Joe Biden compared Queen Elizabeth II to his late mum, Catherine Finnegan, who was known as Jean.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Jean - who was of Irish descent - disliked the late monarch so much that she once refused to sleep in a bed previously used by Her Majesty.
But that hasn’t stopped Biden drawing parallels between the women in the past - a comparison he’s now explained.
Back in June 2021, Biden had tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle, and after their meeting, said the monarch reminded him of his mum.
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“We had a long talk, and she was very generous. I don't think she'd be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother in terms of the look of her and just the generosity,” he said at the time.
Over the weekend, the US president clarified his past statement when speaking to reporters, saying: “[It’s] just because of the way she touched when she leaned over.
“She had that look like ‘are you okay, anything I can do for you, anything you need?’ But also, ‘make sure you do what you’re supposed to do'.”
Biden’s comments come seven months after The Guardian reported that Jean had disliked the late monarch so much, she once chose to sleep on the floor rather than in a bed the Queen had once used.
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The paper pointed to an extract from Veep writer Georgia Pritchett’s autobiography, in which Pritchett opened up about speaking to Biden when conducting research for the Emmy-winning show, a political satire that saw Julia Louis-Dreyfus play a fictional vice president.
Pritchett said she met Biden at the White House, and after their conversation about Ukraine was shut down by his staff, they started talking about ‘how much his mum hated the English’.
Pritchett wrote: “He changed the subject to how much his mother hated the English. His parents were Irish and she had written several poems about her hatred of the English.
“He went off to find them and returned with hundreds of poems describing how God must smite the English and rain blood on our heads.”
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Biden also allegedly told Pritchett that his mum once visited a UK hotel where the Queen had previously stayed.
Pritchett continued: “She [Jean] was so appalled that she slept on the floor all night, rather than risk sleeping on a bed that the Queen had slept on.”
UNILAD has approached Biden’s office for comment.
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Topics: Joe Biden, US News, World News, The Queen, UK News, Royal Family