US President Joe Biden has accepted an invitation from King Charles III to come to the UK for a state visit.
Biden will not be attending King Charles’s official coronation ceremony, which will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6, 2023.
Instead, the US will be represented at the event by First Lady Jill Biden.
So, when will Joe Biden meet King Charles in London? How long will the US president stay in the UK?
Here’s everything you need to know about Joe Biden’s state visit to the UK.
Joe Biden (pictured) has accepted an invitation from King Charles III to come to the UK for a state visit
When does Joe Biden meet King Charles in London?
While the White House confirmed that a “friendly” talk took place between Biden and the reigning monarch – including the offer to Biden of a state visit – a date has yet to be confirmed.
During that call, the king offered for him [Biden] to make a state visit that the president accepted,” said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre, according to the BBC.
“So they’ll see each other again very soon.”
Ms Jean-Pierre stated that the King and President Biden “have a good relationship” and agree on issues such as climate change.
During the call on Tuesday, which lasted nearly half an hour, Ms Jean-Pierre said the president discussed how he enjoyed meeting the late Queen in Windsor in 2021.
She said there is currently no timetable for the visit, but it would be “in the near future.”
What else is on the route?
With dates yet to be revealed, it is not yet clear what is scheduled for Mr Biden’s visit to the UK, other than confirmation that he will meet King Charles.
However, the US President will embark on a four-day trip to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday, April 11.
He will begin in Belfast as part of a visit that will include Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, signed on 10 April 1998.
The president is expected to meet with Northern Ireland’s main political parties ahead of a speech at the University of Ulster.
Mr Biden will also travel to the Republic of Ireland where he will complete a number of assignments during his four-day stay, including a visit to Co Louth and Co Mayo, where his ancestors hail from.
Through his Irish relatives, Biden has occasionally raised the idea that it makes him anti-British.
When a reporter from the BBC tried to ask him a question in 2020, he replied: ‘The BBC? I’m Irish.’
King Charles III (pictured) will be formally crowned in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6
Why is Joe Biden not going to the coronation?
Traditionally, the US has adopted a policy of not sending presidents to such events.
In 1953, then-US President Dwight D. Eisenhower did not attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, but the country did send four representatives from the special delegation.
The full guest list for the coronation has yet to be revealed, with the possible presence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still unknown.
However, heads of state and representatives of a number of key British allies and Commonwealth countries are expected to be on the guest list for the coronation.
Heads of state from Ireland, France, Spain, Belgium, Japan, Hungary and Monaco will be present at the coronation.
All three presidents of the European Union – Ursula von der Leyen, Roberta Metsola and Charles Michel – will be in attendance.
Andrzej Duda, the current president of Poland, was the first head of state confirmed to be attending the event.