Joe Biden reportedly expected to miss King Charles’ coronation

Joe Biden has reportedly turned down his invitation to King Charles III’s coronation, which is set for 6 May.

The US president is “not expected” to be in the UK for the King’s big day, according to sources who spoke to The Telegraph. The sources, who have reportedly been involved in the discussion with Biden about the coronation, claimed that he will be sending a delegation in his place. However, there is a possibility that the First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden, will be in attendance.

Sources also claimed that Dame Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the US, and Buckingham Palace aides had “cordial and diplomatic” talks with the White House about the coronation. The aides had been told that Biden reportedly has other commitments, which is why he cannot go to the coronation.

However, one source claims that there “may still be some efforts under way to see if Biden can be persuaded to come to the Coronation”, while another said that his plan to decline the invitation was “not locked and loaded”.

According to The Telegraph, many guests who received the “save the date” card for the ceremony have been asked to tell the palace if they’re attending or not by this Monday.

In September, Biden and his wife also visited the UK to join a plethora of world leaders at Westminster Abbey in paying their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

While the US President may be missing the coronation in May, some other famous faces are expected to be at the ceremony. As David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham attended the Queen’s funeral in September, they are expected to get an invite to the King’s coronation.

Former Grey’s Anatomy star Sandra Oh attended the Queen’s funeral as a part of the Canadian delegation, alongside musicians Gregory Charles and Olympic gold medallist swimmer Mark Tewksbury. So, it could be likely that she’ll be at the coronation.

In addition, it has been reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex received an invitation to the event via “email correspondence”, following the release of Prince Harry’s tell-all book, Spare, which featured multiple allegations about the royal family. However, the couple haven’t confirmed if they will be attending or not.

Multiple members of the royal family are expected to be at the coronation, including Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Andrew.

The coronation is set to take place on 6 May 2023 at “Westminster Abbey, London and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury,” according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. This is the first coronation in 70 years, as the last one was in 1953, when the Queen was crowned at the age of 27.

Charles turned 74 years old in November 2022, making him the oldest person to be crowned in British history. There are expected to be 2,000 guests in attendance, a stark contrast to the 8,000 guests present at the Queen’s coronation.

The Independent has contacted a representative for Buckingham Palace and The White House for comment.