In a speech to gun control advocates on June 16th, President Joe Biden closed his remarks with an odd comment: “God save the queen, man.” The White House press corps struggled to understand what the reference could possibly mean, especially in the context of the President‘s speech—and the White House’s explanation hasn’t exactly cleared everything up.
Joe Biden confuses crowd by signing off speech with “God save the Queen” https://t.co/mDFWomKybE pic.twitter.com/ReCTb5nXAM
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) June 17, 2023
President Biden Says ‘God Save The Queen’—But Which Queen?
The phrase “God save the Queen/King” has most popularly been used in reference to the British sovereign; in the case of a “Queen,” it was often said in regards to Queen Elizabeth II before her passing, as a sort of prayer for the ruler of the country. But the Queen has passed on…and so, to refer to the British monarch, the phrase “God save the King” would more often be used at this point, in allusion to the newly-crowned King Charles III.
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Some joked that perhaps Biden didn't realize Queen Elizabeth had passed on—"Who's gonna tell him?" quipped one social media user—but maybe he wasn't referring to Elizabeth. After all, there is a new queen of England, she's just not the main ruler...could the President have been talking about the queen consort, Queen Camilla?
Or maybe, as a complete shot in the dark, was he talking about Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who took Elizabeth II's place as Europe's longest reigning living sovereign after the British queen's passing?
Well, according to the White House, all of these options are apparently incorrect.
Was The Strange Comment All A Big Inside Joke?
Reporters queried Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton about the remark later that day, wondering what the comment was supposed to refer to. Dalton told reporters traveling with the President that Biden was simply "commenting to someone in the crowd"—almost like it was a shared inside joke. The press secretary did not offer further comment or clarification beyond that explanation.
It's still an odd situation, especially considering that President Biden himself did not attend the May 6th coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, due to a long-held American tradition of not attending the coronation of British monarchs in person—a very old-school throwback to our country's Revolutionary days.
This isn't the first time Biden has used the phrase while speaking publicly: he jokingly commented "God save the Queen" to then-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in 2017 while presiding as Vice President over the counting of electoral votes confirming Donald Trump's 2016 election victory, after bringing the session to a close.
