Why Joe Biden Isn't At The Coronation

"It is not a snub."

US President Joe Biden (R) and First Lady Jill Biden (L) arrives at Buckingham Palace in London on September 18, 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8. - Britain was gearing up Sunday for the momentous state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II as King Charles III prepared to host world leaders and as mourners queued for the final 24 hours left to view her coffin, lying in state in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster.
(Image credit: MARKUS SCHREIBER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The coronation of King Charles III has drawn scores of politicians, celebrities, and royals from around the world to the opulent ceremony at Westminster Abbey, but one notable face will be absent amid all the celebration: that of American President Joe Biden, who sent his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, and his granddaughter, Finnegan Biden, in his place. 

"It is not a snub," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre assured Time magazine. Rather, the president explained that he has to attend to previous commitments. He spoke to the king in a 25-minute phone call in April which, the White House said, "underscor[ed] the strength of the relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples." During the call, he also explained that the First Lady would be taking his place. 

Still, the president's decision has political significance and keeps in line with American tradition: No U.S. president has ever attended the coronation of a British Monarch. Even when President Dwight D. Eisenhower was invited to Queen Elizabeth's ceremony in 1953, he, too, politely declined and opted to send a delegation on his behalf instead. 

Furthermore, President Biden has historically expressed skepticism over Britain's imperial history—particularly in the case of its brutal colonization of Ireland, where Biden traces the majority of his ancestral roots. 

Nevertheless, the bond between King Charles III and President Biden remains strong—the two have spoken multiple times over the course of the latter's presidency, including in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's passing, when the president expressed his deep condolences. 

The First Lady has also made the most of her visit to London in terms of strengthening the bond between the U.K. and U.S. She has already met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's wife, Akshata Murty, and the two attended a number of events together, including a visit to the Charles Dickens Primary School in central London. 

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Gabrielle Ulubay
Beauty Writer

Gabrielle Ulubay is a Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. She has also written about sexual wellness, politics, culture, and fashion at Marie Claire and at publications including The New York Times, HuffPost Personal, Bustle, Alma, Muskrat Magazine, O'Bheal, and elsewhere. Her personal essay in The New York Times' Modern Love column kickstarted her professional writing career in 2018, and that piece has since been printed in the 2019 revised edition of the Modern Love book. Having studied history, international relations, and film, she has made films on politics and gender equity in addition to writing about cinema for Film Ireland, University College Cork, and on her personal blog, gabrielleulubay.medium.com. Before working with Marie Claire, Gabrielle worked in local government, higher education, and sales, and has resided in four countries and counting. She has worked extensively in the e-commerce and sales spaces since 2020, and spent two years at Drizly, where she developed an expertise in finding the best, highest quality goods and experiences money can buy.

Deeply political, she believes that skincare, haircare, and sexual wellness are central tenets to one's overall health and fights for them to be taken seriously, especially for people of color. She also loves studying makeup as a means of artistic expression, drawing on her experience as an artist in her analysis of beauty trends. She's based in New York City, where she can be found watching movies or running her art business when she isn't writing. Find her on Twitter at @GabrielleUlubay or on Instagram at @gabrielle.ulubay, or follow her art at @suburban.graffiti.art

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