First Lady Jill Biden will attend King Charles III’s coronation, White House announces – Boston News, Weather, Sports

(CNN) – First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will travel to London next month Coronation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, who led the US delegation to the much-anticipated event.

President Joe Biden spoke to King Charles by phone on Tuesday, the White House said, congratulating the monarch as he reaffirmed strong US-UK ties.

“The President congratulated the King on his upcoming coronation and informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States,” read a selection of the White House appeal.

As reports surfaced that President Biden would not attend the coronation despite the expected attendance of dozens of world leaders, US officials downplayed the possibility, noting that no previous US president had attended the coronation of a British monarch.

Instead, the first lady will attend the event, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 6, and President Biden made it clear on Tuesday’s conference call that he plans to meet with King Charles in the future.

“The President has also expressed his desire to meet the King in the UK at a later date,” the ad said.

The coronation itself will be “a solemn service and an occasion for celebration and pageantry” conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Buckingham Palace announced earlier this year.

The last coronation ceremony was almost 70 years ago when King Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was crowned in June 1953.

Both the President and First Lady traveled to London in September to attend the funeral the late queen.

Jill Biden said CNN last year that she had spoken to King Charles about his mother during a private reception with the royal family and other dignitaries on the eve of the funeral service.

“We really talked about the woman and who she was and what she really meant to the whole world,” she said in a telephone interview from London in September, adding that she noted the human toll of grief to King Charles.

“He’s the king but no one should forget that he lost his mother and Prince William lost a grandmother and sometimes we tend to forget the really human piece there and the grief they must endure – and how.” they have to mourn publicly. But… they seem to be fine,” the first lady said.

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