During a spectacular supper at the royal palace in Madrid on Tuesday night, President Joe Biden and Spanish King Felipe VI made jokes while Jill Biden revealed she was concerned their costumes might clash with those of Queen Letizia.
As the royals welcomed them to the largest royal palace in use in Europe, Biden cracked one of his go-to jokes. The elaborate granite structure includes 3,418 rooms and 135,000 square meters of floor space.
Biden and Jill welcomed the King and Queen as they waited in the throne room and quipped, “We both married much above our stations.”
The president frequently makes this joke because it is one of his favorites.
Jill Biden acknowledged having additional concerns about her white pantsuit clashing with the fashionable Spanish royal.
In a black cocktail dress, Queen Letizia addressed the first lady, saying, “You changed.”
Jill chuckled and gave her a warm handshake. The president was informed that she was wearing a white suit. Oh god, are you wearing it tonight? I asked.
The two women visited Ukrainian migrants who had moved to Spain earlier on Tuesday. During that visit, Letizia wore a white pantsuit.
The NATO alliance was launched at a lavish dinner held by the Spanish royal family at their residence.
Among the attendees were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
To get to the reception, the leaders had to up a lengthy granite staircase. The Bidens ascended the stairs while holding hands.
The elaborate dining room, with its huge chandeliers hanging from the painted ceiling, was where the dinner was served. Walls are covered with tapestries.
King Felipe sat close to Biden. President Macron of France was seated close to Jill Biden.
Throughout the ceremony, Biden was upbeat, making jokes with the king and repeatedly rubbing his arm.
In a magnificent ballroom, the leaders also sat for a sizable family photo with the king and queen; thereafter, Biden spoke with Queen Letizia.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia welcomed each of the leaders to the palace and posed for pictures with them to kick off the evening.
President Biden made a joke to Letizia after they took a photo with the Bidens: “You only have to stand for two more hours.” God is with you.
She told him with a smile that morning how she had met his granddaughters Maisy and Finnegan.
The girls had met Letizia during their visit to a Ukrainian refugee center thanks to Jill Biden.
Before the occasion, the Queen spoke with Maisy and Finnegan Biden and gave them loving hugs.
On Tuesday afternoon, Jill Biden, 71, and Queen Letizia, 49, paid visits to various Ukrainian refugee families that Spain had taken in.
Hugging many of the kids, the two women sat down with the families to listen to their tales. With a young boy, they took a selfie. The daughters of Hunter Biden and his first wife Kathleen, Maisy and Finnegan, joined them for the day.
Also meeting with Chef Jose Andrés and volunteers at his World Center Kitchen were the First Lady and the Queen. The Andrés team has helped with humanitarian activities in the Ukraine and is assisting with feeding refugees all around Europe.
With Jill, Letizia, and other of his volunteers, Andrés took a selfie. The two women were then shown around his business.
In the meantime, King Felipe, who came to the throne in June 2014 following his father’s abdication, met privately with President Biden in the palace.
Biden hailed the king for accepting migrants from the southern border of the United States as he landed in Madrid on Tuesday afternoon.
The future of America ‘depends substantially’ on the assimilation of that people, the president said, noting that many American youngsters today are native Spanish speakers.
I often remind people that the United States is a nation of immigrants since there have always been large migration flows into the country over the years.
However, according to a statistic, 24 out of every 100 American children in grades one through twelve speak Spanish as their mother tongue, Biden noted during a meeting with the king at the Royal Palace in Madrid.
Therefore, he said, “the survival of my country depends greatly on the assimilation of a population that has developed to share your beliefs.”
The American Hispanic population is the one that is expanding the fastest.
According to Pew Research Center, it increased to 62.1 million in 2020, a 23 percent increase over the preceding ten years, outpacing the country’s general population growth of 7 percent.
Additionally, Biden thanked the King for his assistance in preventing migrants from entering the country from the south.
He said, “Your assistance in Latin America is also crucial.”
He said, “The help, support, and input have been tremendously useful.”
Spain has agreed to accept a sizable number of Central American refugees who are entering the United States illegally. The majority of migrants crossing the southern border are from Spanish-speaking central American nations.
Both Jill and President Biden depart from Spain on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, when the NATO conference is over.