Why Dr. Jill Biden could attend King Charles' coronation alone

It has been rumored that Dr. Jill Biden may attend King Charles' coronation alone as it's thought that President Biden may have scheduling issues.

• King Charles' coronation is set to take place on May 6, 2023.
• As the President and First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden and Joe Biden have been invited to King Charles' coronation.
• In other royal news, Big change for Carole Middleton amid ‘struggles’ ahead of the coronation.

It has been reported that President Biden will not be attending the King's coronation next month, but his wife, Dr. Jill Biden may still attend on his own.

The Telegraph reported, "Sources have pointed out he is scheduled to visit Northern Ireland for an event later this month, but those close to the President, 80, are also keen to restrict his international movements to avoid him becoming too tired to perform his domestic duties."

The President is set to visit Northern Ireland for a five-day trip that begins in Belfast. After Belfast, the President also visit Mayo, Louth, and Dublin before he leaves the country on Saturday, April 15. It is thought that Biden will meet with Irish President Michael D Higgins, and may even meet with King Charles in Northern Ireland as they mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. 

The flight from Washington DC to Belfast would take from 6-7 hours and the time difference is around 5 hours. The President would be expected to make this journey twice within just a few weeks if he were to attend the coronation. 

A source also told The Telegraph, "foreign travel takes a fair amount out of him” as they added, “They try to restrict it to the essentials, and they may just think twice about crossing the Atlantic twice in quick succession."

The source also referenced the President and First Lady's attendance at the Queen's funeral in September 2022. "They may think that he came to the funeral, and that’s kind of enough," they said.

The Belfast Telegraph reported, "A delegation is set to be sent in Mr Biden’s place, with First Lady Jill Biden understood to be leading the delegation." The First Lady has met with members of the Royal Family on several occasions and will be the perfect stand-in to represent the US at this historic event. 

In 2021, First lady Dr. Jill Biden bonded with Kate Middleton as they took a joint trip to see children aged four and five at the Connor Downs Academy near Camborne as part of the wider G7 activity in Cornwall.

The First lady and the Princess share a passion for childhood education and both support charities dedicated to bettering early development. The duo even co-published an article with CNN in 2021 following their meeting about the importance of childhood education. 

In the piece, the pair wrote, "We both believe that part of this vision for the future must include a fundamental shift in how our countries approach the earliest years of life." They also added, "We both have work to do in our own countries, but we also hope that we can work together across borders and oceans on how to elevate the importance of early care and learning for children. "

Jill has also previously met with King Charles, and the late Queen Elizabeth and has attended other important royal events  - including the Invictus Games in 2017 which were created by Prince Harry.