In a glamorous display of transatlantic diplomacy ahead of the Coronation, First Lady Jill Biden and Rakhi Murty convened for a private meeting before letting the press into the opulent Pillared Room at No 10, adorned with marble columns and portraits of luminaries such as Henry VII, Shakespeare, and Ada Lovelace.
Biden and Murty were welcomed by US Ambassador Jane Hartley and Johnny Mercer, the UK Minister for Veterans’ Affairs. The encounter provided an opportunity for Jill Biden to engage with veterans of The Fighting Chance, a London-based organization that supports veterans with boxing training and employment assistance.
Amidst the glittering chandeliers, the participants of Fighting Chance sparred with one another, sporting boxing gloves, while Hartley and Mercer looked on.
The Prime Minister’s wife Akshata Murty, together with the First Lady Jill Biden and the US Ambassador to the UK Jane Hartley, and the Minister for Veterans Johnny Mercer, watch a boxing training session led by the veterans’ charity The Fighting Chance in the gardens of 10 Downing Street. [Picture by Kirsty O’Connor / No 10 Downing Street]
Mercer introduced Biden to the group and showing her around the room. “Yes, show me what you are doing,” said Jill Biden, taking a keen interest in the program.
“These are very special people,” Mercer remarked, before elucidating further about the initiative.
Among the inspirational veterans present was Maurillia Simpson, a gold medalist in the Invictus Games and a wheelchair user. Simpson was helped to stand and meet the First Lady, who hugged her warmly, while Rakhi Murty looked on.
Jill Biden departed Downing Street at approximately 1:45 pm, heading towards a local school.
