The United States of America (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) have had a "special relationship" for decades, but no US president has ever attended the coronation of a British monarch. Does this tradition indicate antagonism between the two nations or is it something much more banal?
The coronation of King Charles III will be marked by age-old traditions and ceremonies. The king will take the oath in Westminster Abbey in the presence of thousands of subjects and heads of state, it reports N1.
But among the many distinguished dignitaries, one absence will be extremely noticeable - US President Joseph Biden will not be there.
Biden was invited to the coronation, the White House confirmed to the BBC, but the president said in a telephone conversation with the king that US first lady Jill Biden and the diplomatic corps would attend the ceremony on his behalf.
The White House did not explain why the president would not be at the coronation, but conveyed his desire to meet the king in the UK in the future.
The failure to appear at the most important event in Great Britain sent waves across the pond, the BBC estimates.
Conservative MP Bob Seeley told Britain's Telegraph that President Biden looks very careless when he is willing to skip a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Russell Myers, a reporter for the British tabloid Mirror, told Sky News that Biden will not attend the coronation because he is "unwaveringly proud of his Irish roots."
However, historians explain that the reason has much less to do with politics, and that it is a centuries-long tradition of American presidents skipping coronations.
"It has nothing to do with the idea that Biden is anti-British. He's not going because no American president has gone to a coronation, so why should he now in the 21st century," says Laura Beers, professor of history at American University.
The professor recalls that American-British relations before Queen Victoria (1819-1901) were marked by colonialism and the War of Independence in 1812. Victoria's accession to the throne sparked "Victorian fever" across the ocean and a new era of American fascination with the British monarchy, but even then-President Martin van Buren did not attend the coronation ceremony.
"It wasn't practical for an American president to travel all the way to Europe, and after that, I think it just became a tradition," Professor Beers said.
Troy Bickham, historian and fellow of the Royal Historical Society, explains that ocean travel was not practical before the establishment of transatlantic air traffic in 1939, which was three years before the coronation of King George VI.
Eisenhower and Elizabeth
The Second World War was a turning point in diplomatic relations between the US and the UK. During the war, King George VI and his daughter, then Princess Elizabeth, developed an excellent relationship with Dwight Eisenhower, who was at the Allied Command in London overseeing the Normandy landings.
A few months after the king's death, Eisenhower became the 34th US president, and Elizabeth II succeeded to the throne. However, despite their close ties, Eisenhower chose to stick with tradition and send emissaries to the coronation.
Historian Sam Edwards notes that the US was engaged in the Korean War at the time, and the president was essential in Washington.
One queen, 14 presidents
As Britain's longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II welcomed and saw off 14 US presidents and met all of them during her reign.
During their mandate, three presidents made official visits to the UK, while the Queen made four state visits to the USA.
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