First lady Jill Biden met UK royal Kate Middleton for the first time Friday, where she joked that they “scared to death” a classroom of children at an English preschool for kids who’ve already suffered trauma.
The pair — matching in different shades of pink — smiled and chatted amiably as they walked into the Connor Downs Academy in Cornwall, donning masks before going in.
“Hello!” the 70-year-old first lady greeted the classroom of 4- and 5-year-olds, to be met with almost complete silence.
“They’re scared to death,” she said to laughter as the 39-year-old Duchess of Cambridge waved at the children at the specialist school that works with children who have experienced trauma.
Biden remarked how it was the “quietest classroom I’ve ever been to” as the kids’ teacher told the dignitaries, “It’s a pleasure to have you both here in our classroom.”
Biden — whose doctorate is in education — helped the duchess teach the students about landmarks in the G7 meeting, according to the Sun.
Duchess Kate Middleton and first lady Jill Biden visit the Connor Downs Academy in Hayle, West Cornwall. Aaron Chown/PA Wire
During their visit to the Connor Downs Academy, Kate Middleton and Jill Biden helped students feed the school rabbit, Storm. Aaron Chown/PA Wire
Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and first lady Jill Biden speak with children during their visit to the Connor Downs Academy in Hayle, Cornwall. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesThe first lady even held up a picture of the White House at one point, before joining the school’s “animal cadets” to help feed rabbits outside, with the first lady happily carrying a bowl of carrots, the paper said.
Biden, who wore a white dress under a L’Agence pink blazer, later said she “met some wonderful teachers and principals and most of all the children, who were so inspiring and well behaved.”
While it was the first time the pair met, it was the duchess’ third meeting with a first lady, having met Michelle Obama in 2011 and 2016, The Sun noted.
First lady Jill Biden helped Kate Middleton teach a class of students at the Connor Downs Academy about different landmarks in the G7 meeting. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
First lady Jill Biden shows students a picture of the White House during her visit to the Connor Downs Academy, on June 11, 2021. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images
Jill Biden — who has a doctorate in education — and Kate Middleton paid a visit to “the quietest classroom” at the Connor Downs Academy, on June 11, 2021. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty ImagesThey also took part in a talk about early childhood education with experts, including some from the US joining by Zoom.
“It’s a huge honor to have you in the United Kingdom,” the duchess, a mother of three, told the first lady just before the discussion.
Middleton and her husband, Prince William, are due to join his father, Prince Charles, and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at a special gathering Friday night with world leaders in the UK for the G7 summit.
First lady Jill Biden and Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, take part in a roundtable discussion during their visit to Connor Downs Academy in Hayle, Cornwall. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty ImagesIt will be the Queen’s first such meeting since the coronavirus pandemic started.
Her Majesty is also due to meet the Bidens for tea at Windsor Castle on Sunday after the summit has concluded.
“Joe and I are both looking forward to meeting the Queen,” the first lady said Thursday. “That’s an exciting part of the visit for us.”
With Post wires
