President Joe Biden traveled to the British Embassy on Thursday to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
“We mourn for all of you. She was a great lady; I’m so delighted I got to meet her,” Biden said to the British ambassador and embassy staff when they arrived.
The Bidens met Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to England in June 2021.
While at the embassy, the president signed a condolence book, pulling out a notecard to look at before he wrote a message in the book.
First lady Jill Biden also signed her name in the book.
The White House released a photo of what Biden wrote:
After chatting briefly with embassy staff, Biden said, “As my mother would say, ‘God, love you,'” before he left the room.
The president then traveled to a political reception in Maryland for the Democrat National Committee. He spent about 30 seconds at the top of his speech remembering Queen Elizabeth, calling her “an incredibly gracious and decent woman.”
“Now let me talk about why we’re all here … 60 days. 60 days from the midterm elections,” he said.
Earlier Thursday, the White House issued a statement from the Bidens mourning the queen’s death
“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch,” the statement released by the White House read. “She defined an era.”
Later in the afternoon, the White House lowered the flag to half-staff to mourn the famous British monarch.