United States President Joe Biden will be absent at the coronation of King Charles of England on May 6, after concerns over his being ‘too old’ to travel far too frequently arose among his closest aides.
Reports say the 80-year-old President’s close aides are looking to reduce the frequency of his international travel in order to prevent him from becoming ‘too tired to perform his domestic duties’.
On President Biden’s itinerary within the next few weeks is a trip to Northern Ireland on April 11, recurring meetings with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as well as a trip to Japan for the G7 summit in May.
While British ambassador to the US Karen Pierce had earlier held ‘cordial and diplomatic’ talks with the White House ahead of the coronation, there has so far been no formal statement indicating Biden’s plan to attend the event, according to information from Washington and London.
It is speculated that First Lady Jill Biden may represent him at the coronation.
This would not be the first time a US President would miss attending an English coronation event. President Dwight Eisenhower had not attended the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and instead sent a government delegation to represent him.
