Moments You Missed As The G-7 Leaders Meet For The 1st Time Since COVID-19

For the first time since the pandemic halted face-to-face events, leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States have gathered for three days of talks in a British seaside town to try to address some of the world's most pressing issues.

Stopping the coronavirus pandemic will be front and center in the talks. But the summit also provides a window into the dynamics between the world leaders beyond their statements and press conferences.

Here's a look at some of the moments you may have missed on Day 1:

A royal gathering

For the first time, Queen Elizabeth II and her family are participating in the G-7, part of a diplomatic charm offensive. Along with Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the queen attended a reception with G-7 leaders and their spouses Friday evening at the Eden Project, which describes itself as the world's largest indoor rainforest.

"Are you supposed to be looking as if you're enjoying this?" the queen asked U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson as they settled in for a group photograph, prompting chuckles from the other leaders.

Prince Charles spoke to the leaders, applauding them for their urgent work. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are doing it for the pandemic. So, if you don't mind me saying so, we must also do it for the planet," he said.

Most important meal of the day

"Multilateralism is back @G7," tweeted Charles Michel, president of the European Council, alongside a photo of leaders gathered together for what appeared to be breakfast ahead of the day's talks. French President Emmanuel Macron also shared a photo of the gathering via Twitter.

"The EU wants to make sure the world is vaccinated as quickly as possible. Only together can we do this by upholding our values," Michel wrote and included the hashtag "BuildBackBetter," a phrase that G-7 host Johnson has adopted and that President Biden campaigned with to describe his agenda to "rescue, recover and rebuild" after the pandemic.

On Thursday, Biden announced the U.S. will donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to nearly 100 countries struggling to afford them. G-7 leaders are expected to announce on Day 1 of the talks a commitment to share 1 billion of their COVID-19 vaccine resources with lower income countries.

Handshakes out, elbow greetings in

At the start of the summit Friday, the world leaders and their spouses walked up a pier one at a time to get a photo with Johnson and his wife, Carrie.

Exaggerated elbow bumps as a safety measure replaced the traditional handshakes between leaders.

"Everybody in the water," Biden quipped to the pool of photographers.

Family photo

As is customary, the leaders gathered for an official photo before the start of the talks.

It didn't take long before the moment became a meme.