The royal family is hoping to generate worldwide buzz for King Charles III’s coronation, but it seems like he’s having a hard time getting a few people to attend. Fans know that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s participation is up in the air, but it appears that President Joe Biden’s absence stings more.
Instead of Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden attending on May 6, the U.S. is sending an official delegation to be named at a later date, according to The New York Times. While White House is promising that “planning could still change,” the Biden administration isn’t exactly seeing this invitation decline as a perceived snub since they saw then-Prince Charles at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021, and again at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral last year.
However, not everyone sees it that way because President Biden is also headed to Northern Ireland in mid-April to honor the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. He is not scheduled to stop over in the U.K. to see King Charles which has raised “concern in diplomatic circles” which “could be interpreted as a snub” because the U.K. is a close ally. The New York Times noted that “while Charles remains above politics, he is the head of state, and his coronation is expected to draw a parade of world leaders.” It seems like an occasion Joe Biden would want to be in attendance.
White House officials are sticking to the story that the U.S. leader and the royal have a “strong” relationship, so no one should read into Joe Biden’s absence from the coronation as a slight. The pressure is there for Present Biden to attend the global event, so royal watchers are keeping their eye on his schedule to see if he will eventually have a change of heart and find space on his calendar for May 6.
Before you go, click here to see every single detail we know about King Charles III’s coronation so far.
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