First lady Dr. Jill Biden has arrived in London, where she is set to bear witness to the full pomp and pageantry of the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, leading the US delegation to this weekend’s highly anticipated events.
“It’s an honor to represent the United States for this historic moment and celebrate the special relationship between our countries,” she said in a tweet Thursday as she departed Washington, DC.
Biden, who is traveling with her granddaughter Finnegan Biden, touched down in England late Thursday evening and takes on a packed schedule of events on the three-day trip. On Friday, she will meet with Mrs. Akshata Murty, wife of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, at 10 Downing Street.
Together, Biden and Murty will visit with veterans and their families, participating in a health and wellness program before visiting with children at a local primary school hosting a coronation fair, according to the office of the first lady. Biden will also greet US embassy staff and their families in London.
Then it’s the main coronation event on Saturday at Westminster Abbey, which will be a “solemn religious service, as well as an occasion for celebration and pageantry,” conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, according to Buckingham Palace. Biden will also attend a reception in the evening hosted by US Ambassador to the United Kingdom Jane Hartley.
Biden concludes her visit Sunday alongside other heads of state and dignitaries in town for the occasion at a “Coronation Big Lunch” hosted by Sunak and Murty at 10 Downing Street.
President Joe Biden spoke by phone last month with King Charles, congratulating him on his coronation as he reaffirmed the strong ties between the UK and US. As reports surfaced that President Biden would not attend the coronation, despite the expected presence of dozens of world leaders, US officials downplayed the possibility and noted that no previous US president has attended a British monarch’s coronation.
The president told the king that the first lady would be attending the coronation, but made clear in the call that he plans to meet with King Charles in the future.
“The President also conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date,” a White House readout of the call said.
The first lady last traveled to the UK with the president in September to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Speaking to CNN in a phone interview during that trip, the first lady said that she had spoken with King Charles about his mother during a private reception with the royal family and other visiting dignitaries on the eve of the funeral service.
“We really talked about the woman, and who she was, and what she meant really to the whole world,” Biden said, adding that she noted to King Charles the human toll of grief.
“He is the king, but, you know, no one should forget he lost his mother, and Prince William lost a grandmother, and sometimes we tend to forget the really human piece there, and the sorrow they have to bear – and how they have to grieve in public. But … they seem to be doing OK,” the first lady said.
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