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A group of London children preparing for this weekend’s coronation had an extra party at school on Friday when the first lady, Jill Biden, and Akshata Murty, the wife of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, came to class.
Seated among the students, the guests applauded some of the young musicians after the string-instrument performance of “Lovely” by Billie Eilish.
“It’s amazing,” said Dr. Biden, adding, “Thank you for sharing your talent.”
“You make it look so easy,” Ms. Murty said.
The performance at Charles Dickens Primary School, in the Borough of London, was just one of the events on Friday related to issues that have long been a priority for Dr. Biden.
President Biden will not attend the coronation of King Charles III this weekend, but the first lady arrived in London on Thursday night with one of her grandsons, Finnegan Biden. The couple spent Friday with the children and veterans.
The sun was shining when Dr. Biden and Ms. Murty arrived at the school Friday afternoon and met in the cafeteria with the children, who wore gold paper crowns in honor of the coronation.
Dr. Biden sat at a table among several students, who were eating small sandwiches cut into neat triangles, and told one teacher about his role as an educator. Dr. Biden has been a classroom teacher for over 30 years and is currently a professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College.
“Are you excited about tomorrow?” he asked one girl, who nodded her head enthusiastically. “And how was your meal? Would you like a coronation sandwich?”
Earlier in the day, Dr. Biden had arrived in the rain at the prime minister’s office at 10 Downing Street for a private meeting with Ms. It was the first time the pair had met, and it kicked off a weekend of public appearances for Dr. Biden.
After a private meeting, Dr. Biden and Ms. Murty joined Jane Hartley, the US ambassador to the UK, and Johnny Mercer, the UK minister for Veterans Affairs, for a boxing demonstration by veterans involved with The Fighting Chance, a London-based organisation. provides boxing training and employment support to veterans.
Under the twinkling chandeliers of 10 Downing Street’s boardroom, a group from the organization sparred in boxing gloves over portraits of Henry VIII, Shakespeare, and Ada Lovelace.
One of the women who took part in the boxing demonstration, who threw the sparring partner’s gloves, was Maurillia Simpson, a veteran and gold medalist at the Invictus Games. He is also a wheelchair user after injuring his left leg during training for a deployment to Afghanistan.
He had previously served three tours in Iraq. Dr. Biden hugged her, and he and Ms. Murty repeatedly thanked her for her service.
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