King Charles' Relationship With the Bidens Is Only Getting Warmer

Jill Biden will lead the U.S. delegation to King Charles III's Coronation in a boost to Britain's first new head of state since 1952.

President Joe Biden won't make the historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey, on May 6, but the first lady will ensure the move isn't interpreted as a snub by the U.S. toward a major international ally.

The move comes a little more than two years after then White House press secretary Jen Psaki praised Meghan Markle's "courage" for discussing her mental health during the Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021 in which she made sweeping accusations against the monarchy.

A White House readout of a call between the president and Charles on April 4 read: "President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with King Charles III, underscoring the strength of the relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples.

"The President congratulated the King on his upcoming Coronation and informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States.

"The President also conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date."

Prince Harry has been close to Jill Biden for many years through his Invictus Games tournament for injured veterans and Meghan showed up for Michelle Obama's When We All Vote initiative in the run up to the 2020 presidential election.

In February 2021, a month before Oprah, it emerged the couple had also met with California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.

With Meghan having made outspoken criticisms of Donald Trump before becoming a royal, Harry and Meghan have appeared to be firmly aligned with the Democrats.

That set the stage for public interpretations of Psaki's response to the Oprah interview, in which Meghan accused an unnamed royal of expressing concern about how dark her unborn child's skin might be.

"For anyone to come forward and speak about their own struggles with mental health and tell their own personal story—that takes courage," Psaki said.

"And that's certainly something the president believes, and he's talked about the importance of investing in a lot of these areas that they're committed to in the future."

Whatever else the Bidens may have privately felt about Meghan and Harry's story, the president appeared to enjoy meeting Queen Elizabeth II in June 2021, when he told reporters she was "extremely gracious" and "we had a great talk."

King Charles then met Biden face-to-face to discuss an issue that has been close to his heart for many years at the climate change conference COP26, in November 2021.

"No no no," the president told him, "by the way, we need you badly, I am not just saying. You got the whole thing going, that's how it started."

Glowing praise for the monarch from a president who, CNN reported, was once told by his Irish American mother not to bow to the queen.

Then, when the queen died, Biden travelled to Britain and appeared emotional as he witnessed Elizabeth's coffin lying-in-state at Westminster Hall, in London, in September 2022.

He said: "To all the people of England, all the people of the United Kingdom, our hearts go out to you. You were fortunate to have had her for 70 years, we all were. The world is better for her."

Whatever the Bidens may privately feel about Harry and Meghan's broad ranging allegations against the Monarchy now, diplomacy and international relations appear to have reclaimed the stage for the king.

As for Harry and Meghan, they are still a little behind Jill Biden in revealing what plans, if any, they have to attend the coronation.

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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