The White House officials refuse to confirm whether the President of the United States will attend the upcoming coronation or send delegation on his behalf.
- Mar 6, 2023
AceShowbiz - Joe Biden may skip King Charles' coronation. The 80-year-old US president is expected to be invited to Westminster Abbey in London on May 6 to see the monarch formally crowned alongside his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, but White House officials have confirmed it is not yet clear if he will be there.
According to a senior administration official in a statement to People magazine, "the U.S. will be represented at the coronation." But they refused to confirm if that would be through the president himself or with a delegation. They added there's nothing to announce "regarding presidential travel or regarding potential delegation at this time."
The comments come after Time magazine claimed a few days ago that the politician was unlikely to be at the coronation. Stressing that the president's schedule for May has yet to be finalised, an unnamed White House official told the outlet the coronation "does not feel like an event Joe Biden will attend."
According to the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Joe - who is famously proud of his Irish heritage - is keen to visit Ireland next month to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, as well as visiting relatives in Mayo and Louth, making a second visit across the Atlantic a few weeks later more unlikely.
Formal invitations for the coronation are expected to be sent out in April, by which time the US Leader will likely have formalised his trip to Ireland, which is believed to be pencilled in for April 18.
When Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth - who died last September, was coronated in 1953, America's then-President Dwight Eisenhower wasn't in attendance, with a delegate taking his place to represent the US instead.
