Jill Biden meets and tours school with the Duchess of Cambridge
Jill Biden and the Duchess focused their meeting on children and education during their first-ever meeting, which took place at Conor Downs Academy, inside a classroom of 4- and 5-year-old students. Biden and the Duchess also participated in a roundtable discussion about early childhood education. A highlight of the visit included a tour by Biden and the Duchess of the outdoor area of the school, which included seeing bunnies the children help care for. The first lady carried a large bowl of carrots for the animals.
Inside the classroom, the two women chatted with the children, who were reading the book, “Greta and the Giant.”
“Do you know this series?” the Duchess asked Biden, who replied she was familiar with the books. “I know Greta, of course,” said Biden.
The first lady, who has had a decades-long career as a teacher and is currently a community college professor, was asked about the impact of early-childhood education.
“It’s very important to the foundation,” she said. “As a teacher at the upper levels, if they don’t have a good foundation, they fall so far behind. This is amazing to see how far advanced they are.”
Before departing the school at the end of their event, Biden and the Duchess were each presented with small bouquets of local flowers, handed to them by two of the school’s students.
Biden has also taken several recent trips to various parts of the United States encouraging people to get vaccinated. The meeting in England between Biden and the Duchess has been in the works for the last couple of weeks, a White House official tells CNN.
In a statement to CNN, the East Wing notes in addition to acting in a supporting role to the President, Jill Biden’s first trip abroad as first lady includes several solo events, such as the one with Kate.
“The First Lady has an independent schedule of her own during the G7,” said Jill Biden’s press secretary Michael LaRosa. “At Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall on Wednesday, she spoke about the importance of supporting military families. She also hosted a roundtable with United States military spouses who are focused on the wellbeing and emotional health of service members and their families.”
This story has been updated.
CNN’s Arlette Saenz, Max Foster and Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
