King Charles III has invited Joe Biden on a state visit to Britain, despite the U.S. president's decision not to attend his coronation in London next month, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, announced on Wednesday.
Speaking in a press briefing about the relationship between the president and the king, Jean-Pierre said that they share important "values" and "issues" such as climate change and that during a recent phone call, Charles "offered for [Biden] to come and do a state visit, which the president accepted."
Charles acceded to the throne in September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Biden made a special journey to London to attend the 96-year-old queen's funeral, making him the first sitting U.S. president to attend the state funeral of a British monarch.
Despite this, it was announced this week that Biden wouldn't make a similar break with convention to attend the king's coronation alongside other world leaders on May 6.
Though interpreted by some commentators as a snub, the decision for the president not to attend is not without precedent. In 1953, President Eisenhower sent a delegation of government officials to attend Queen Elizabeth's coronation in his place. No U.S. president to date has ever attended the coronation of a British sovereign.
A readout issued from the White House on Tuesday, said that the president and King Charles had a telephone call "underscoring the strength of the relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples."
"The president congratulated the King on his upcoming coronation," it said. "And informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States. The president also conveyed his desire to meet with the king in the United Kingdom at a future date."
On Wednesday, the White House press secretary was asked about the phone call and Biden's decision not to attend in a media briefing.
"Let me first say that the president had about a 25 minute/30 minute call with King Charles III and during which he congratulated the king [...] on his upcoming coronation and they had a very friendly conversation," she said.
"They have a good relationship with the king. They talked about how he [Biden] enjoyed visiting the queen [...] back in 2021, he and the First Lady at Windsor, and that he hoped to visit again soon."
Jean-Pierre then added that the king "offered for [Biden] to come and do a state visit which the president accepted and so they will see each other again very soon."
The last U.S. president to have a state visit to Britain was Donald Trump, who was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 at Buckingham Palace.
Previously, Barack Obama and George W. Bush also made state visits to the country, used to foster the "special relationship" between the two nations.
Biden previously met with Queen Elizabeth in June 2021, where he was given tea and a special reception at Windsor Castle with the first lady. A full state visit will likely include a banquet at Buckingham Palace and a series of engagements with other members of the royal family, likely the Prince and Princess of Wales.
State visits are made at the invitation of the monarch, but they are approved and paid for by the U.K. government. Buckingham Palace hasn't yet commented on Biden's visit, or when it's expected to take place.
On the timing of the White House's announcement, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Newsweek that it was significant, given commentary suggesting the president snubbed the king over the coronation.
"When it was announced that President Biden wouldn't be coming to the coronation some, totally wrongly, saw this as a snub," he said.
"I don't think a state visit was automatic, but at the time of the Ukraine war the 'special relationship' between the United States and Britain is highly important."
"A state visit is a high point in Anglo-American relations. There might well be plans for a return state visit, which would show what an important projection of soft power the British monarchy is."
Often, when a country hosts another for a state visit, a return invitation is offered for a later date. The last time a British sovereign was hosted for a state visit to the U.S. was in 2007, when Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip marked the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement.
Any state visit made to the U.S. by King Charles would likely bring with it speculation about any potential meeting with his youngest son, Prince Harry, who moved to California with Meghan Markle in 2020, where they live with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
If Charles were to be hosted in Washington, D.C., Harry and Meghan could receive invites to a state dinner at the White House.
"I would have thought that they probably would be invited as Meghan is American," Fitzwilliams told Newsweek. "If they were not invited, in the event of there being one [a visit to the U.S. by Charles], it would be a cause celebre with the press! They probably would be [invited]—but who knows?"
Newsweek approached Buckingham Palace and the U.K. government press office for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
