Hunter daughter Finnegan going to King’s coronation with Jill Biden
Jill Biden is taking granddaughter Finnegan Biden to London for King Charles III’s coronation ceremony as President Joe Biden was accused of being “disrespectful” for skipping the event.
Hunter Biden’s daughter will join the first lady at Westminster Abbey for the historic ceremony.
She goes as a guest. According to the White House, there is no official delegation.
“There is no official US delegation. Finnegan is an asset,” the East Wing said in a statement. “As we’ve noted before with other family trips, relatives of presidents have historically often joined them on trips. Current practices are consistent with those of previous administrations.”
Meanwhile, Jill Biden expressed her excitement for the trip.
“Heading to the UK for the coronation of King Charles III – the first in 70 years!” Jill Biden tweeted on Thursday as she left Joint Base Andrews. “It is an honor to represent the United States at this historic moment and celebrate the special relationship between our nations.”
Jill Biden left for England on Thursday where she will attend the coronation of King Charles III
President Biden called the king in April to tell him that Jill Biden would attend the coronation on behalf of the United States.
And former President Donald Trump said it was “deeply disrespectful” of Biden to decline the invitation and send his wife instead.
The White House has noted that no sitting US president has ever attended the coronation of a British monarch.
“I was very surprised to see that. I find it very disrespectful that he is not here,” Trump said in an interview with British commentator Nigel Farage.
“I don’t think he can handle it physically, actually. I think it’s hard for him to do it physically,” Trump said. ‘Sure, he should be here. He is our representative of our country.’
President Biden did accept an invitation from the king for a state visit to the UK. However, no date has yet been set for that visit.
The Bidens’ granddaughter, Finnegan, accompanies Jill Biden to London – above Finnegan in June 2022 as she embarked on the Bidens’ trip to Spain
A Royal fan poses with his dog as London prepares for the coronation
The first lady has a packed schedule for her time in the United Kingdom.
Finnegan Biden, 23, who was named after President Biden’s Irish family, the Finnegans of County Mayo, will join her at other events in addition to the coronation.
The first granddaughter, the middle child of Hunter Biden and his first wife Kathleen Buhle, has been on other presidential tours. Last June, she accompanied her grandparents to Spain for a meeting of NATO countries.
The Bidens’ time in London includes receptions and meetings in Downing Street – the seat of the British government.
Jill Biden will meet Akshata Murty, the wife of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, at 10 Downing Street on Friday afternoon. The two women will also meet veterans and their families and visit a local primary school where a coronation fair is being held.
In the evening, Jill Biden will attend a reception hosted by the King at Buckingham Palace.
On Saturday, she will attend the coronation in the morning and in the evening she will attend a reception hosted by US Ambassador Jane Hartley.
On Sunday, Jill Biden will attend a Coronation Big Lunch hosted by Sunak and Murty at 10 Downing Street. She returns to Washington DC in the evening.
Charles plans a more toned-down coronation compared to that of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in June 1953.
The ceremony will be shorter than his mother’s three-hour extravaganza and will have no more than 2,800 guests in the audience – far fewer than the 8,000 who gathered to see Elizabeth crowned.
During the service led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles will be anointed with oil for the first time, receive the traditional symbols of the monarch – including the orb and scepter – and the St. Edwards crown will be placed on his head.
His wife Camilla is crowned queen consort.
Buckingham Palace with Union and Commonwealth flags on The Mall
Royal fan Joseph Afrane wears a Union Jack suit as he camps along The Mall with other fans in London ahead of King Charles III’s coronation
In addition, new research has revealed how the first lady and the king are distant cousins.
Both are descended from the 16th century noble couple Philippe III de Croÿ and his wife Johanna. They are 13th cousins once removed.
Philippe III, who died in 1595, served as a knight under the Spanish King Philip II, the husband of Queen Mary who sent the Spanish Armada to invade England in 1588.