U.S. President Joe Biden will reportedly not attend the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. Sources close to the event told The U.K. Telegraph this weekend that Biden has declined his invitation. The deadline to RSVP is coming up fast, and some staffers are apparently still trying to change Biden’s mind.
The Coronation of King Charles III will be held on Saturday, May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London, England, and will be a historic moment for the monarchy. Sources said that invitees were asked to submit their answer by Monday, April 3, and they expect Biden to submit a “no.” However, one person told reporters that there “may still be some efforts underway to see if Biden can be persuaded to come to the Coronation,” and another sad that Biden’s answer was “not locked and loaded.”
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It’s worth noting that if Biden misses the coronation, it won’t be a break from tradition or precedent. No U.S. president has ever attended the coronation of a British monarch, according to a report by Entertainment Tonight. On top of that, the U.S. may still send someone with stature to attend the event. Insiders said that First Lady Dr. Jill Biden may attend, or possible Vice President Kamala Harris.
Of course, two of the most anticipated RSVPs are also expected soon from the U.S. – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Last month, a spokesperson for the couple officially confirmed that they had been invited to the coronation, but there’s still no word on whether they will attend. Prince Harry has intimated that he wants to have a private confrontation with his father and his brother about their treatment of his wife before committing to this ceremony.
The coronation will boast about 2,000 invited guests in a slightly more reserved version of this ancient ceremony. The king has reportedly tried to minimize the pomp and circumstance of robes and knighthood at his big day. The last British coronation was in 1953 when Queen Elizabeth II took the throne, and she had 8,000 guests in attendance.
So far, the White House and Buckingham Palace have not made official statements on Biden’s RSVP. The coronation will be televised live on Saturday, May 6, and royal admirers in the U.S. may want to mark their calendars. They will need to get up pretty early in the morning to catch it.
