US President Joe Biden has bizarrely said he couldn't attend King Charles III's coronation due to an interview at MSNBC that aired Friday night, hours before the historic event.
Speaking to anchor Stephanie Ruhle, Mr Biden claimed that he rejected King Charles' invitation and said: "I told him I couldn't be there because I have this going on."
The 80-year-old, who has announced his 2024 re-election bid, said he told the King that he would be in the United Kingdom in the summer during the NATO conference.
He said of King Charles III: "He's a good acquaintance and we've worked together on environmental issues."
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No American president has ever attended a British coronation.
President Biden has received some criticism for skipping the coronation from his rival and likely 2024 election opponent, Donald Trump, though the White House cites the precedent of a US president never attending, for his decision.
The President said he and and King Charles spoke in April when Biden called to say he was sending the first lady to the Coronation.
The White House had said at the time that the President expressed interest in meeting with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date.
The two men have previously chatted each other up at global climate events since Mr Biden took office and during Queen Elizabeth II's funeral last year.
US First Lady Jill Biden represented the US as she stood alongside other world leaders in Westminster Abbey during the ceremony earlier today.
She wore a pale blue outfit with a matching bow in her hair as she walked into the abbey. She was followed by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.
Before the big event, she engaged in soft diplomacy attending several events during her stay in London.
Her first stop in Friday's drizzle was a familiar place: No 10 Downing Street, for her first meeting with Akshata Murty, the wife of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Jill Biden and Ms Murty afterwards met at the Downing Street residence with military veterans and their families participating in a health and wellness program.
During his MSNBC interview, Biden's first since he talked with PBS Newshour in February, the President was asked why people should vote for him at his age.
He said: "I have acquired a hell of a lot of wisdom. And know more than the vast majority of people – I'm more experienced than anybody who has ever run for the office. And I think I've proven myself to be honorable as well as also effective."
