By .
President Joe Biden will not be among the throng of dignitaries and world leaders descending upon London for King Charles III‘s coronation next month.
According to The UK Telegraph, Biden has opted to skip the May 6 ceremony, citing prior commitments. The outlet reported, citing a source, that there “may still be some efforts underway to see if Biden can be persuaded to come to the Coronation.” Another source told The Telegraph that declining the invite was “not locked and loaded.”
What’s more, the outlet reported that those who received “save the Date” cards were asked to submit their answer by Monday. It’s worth noting that no U.S. president has ever attended the coronation of a new monarch. That being said, Biden will reportedly send a representative to the ceremony, and among the name’s being mentioned include First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Next month will see its first coronation in seven decades. The late Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953 when she was just 27. Charles, who turned 74 in November, will be the oldest person ever to be crowned in British history. There have also been reports that around 2,000 invited guests will attend the ceremony, which is a stark contrast to the approximately 8,000 guests who attended Elizabeth’s coronation.
Among those invited includes Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who were officially invited by email, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told ET last month.
“The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty’s office regarding the coronation. An immediate decision on whether the Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time,” Harry and Meghan’s rep shared.
There’s been plenty of speculation over whether the Couple would get an invite. And while things looked up in the air amid family tensions, a source close to the royal family told ET last month that there was no question about Charles wanting Relationship-source” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>both his sons in attendance on his big day.
While Harry and Meghan, who are parents to Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, have yet to make a decision about their attendance, a source previously told ET that Charles wants the couple there for his big day.
“Of course Charles wants his son at the coronation. It is a pivotal moment in his life. He loves both his sons and wants Prince Harry there,” the source said. “King Charles wants to mend the relationship within the family.”
Another source later told ET that “King Charles very much wants Prince Harry and his grandchildren at his coronation.”
MORE FROM ET:
King Charles Expects Royals to Finance Their Own Homes: Report
King Charles ‘Very Much’ Wants Prince Harry at Coronation
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Have Received Invitation to Coronation
