This Saturday’s coronation for King Charles III will be an international event filled with pomp and ceremony. Notables from around the globe will be in attendance — but one guest will be conspicuously absent, President Joe Biden.
Though invited, and many U.S. Presidents have shared in high ceremonies at Buckingham Palace in the past, including last year’s funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, Joe Biden will not attend the May 6 event.
The White House announced last month that the president declined the invitation, noting that no U.S. president has attended a coronation event.
Some suggest that the president’s decision not to attend the May 6 event was impacted by apparent snubs last September when the Bidens were forced to wait before being seated at the memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II and then were seated 14 rows back in the south transept of the abbey.
The White House announced that First Lady Jill Biden will represent the U.S. at the coronation event.
Former President Donald Trump has criticized Biden’s decision not to attend the coronation, saying it was “very disrespectful.”
Trump shared his opinion during an interview with British political commentator Nigel Farage.
“I don’t think he can do it physically,” said Trump. “Actually. I think it’s hard for him to do it physically. Certainly, he should be here. He’s our representative of our country. I was surprised when I heard that he wasn’t coming.”
King Charles III reportedly also invited Biden to share in a state visit. Officials have yet to announce a date for that visit.
The elaborate coronation event will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
King Charles III and his wife, Queen Consort Camella, will travel from Buckingham Palace in the King’s Procession to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, created in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the 60th anniversary of her reign.
Displays of various military branches from across the commonwealth, including the Sovereign’s Bodyguard and Royal Watermen, will share in the procession.
Prince Harry will reportedly attend the coronation event but without his wife, Meghan Markle. Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the Royal family has been strained since the release of Harry’s memoir “Spare” and several documentaries which cast the royal family in a negative light.
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