Biden congratulates Charles III, Camilla on coronation

King Charles III receives a royal salute from members of the military in the gardens of Buckingham Place in London, on May 6, 2023, following his coronation. – The set-piece coronation is the first in Britain in 70 years, and only the second in history to be televised. Charles will be the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned at the central London church since King William I in 1066. Outside the UK, he is also king of 14 other Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Camilla, his second wife, will be crowned queen alongside him, and be known as Queen Camilla after the ceremony. (Photo by Peter Byrne / POOL / AFP)

US President Joe Biden congratulated King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their coronation Saturday, paying tribute to the “enduring friendship between the U.S. and the U.K.”

The US president, who did not attend the ceremony in London, called the countries’ relationship “a source of strength for both our peoples,” in a tweet.

The United States was represented instead by First Lady Jill Biden, with the president tweeting that he was “proud” she could be there “for this historic occasion.”

In an interview aired Friday, Biden said he would see the new monarch in July to talk in particular about the environment.

“We’re going to be going to a NATO conference in Europe, and I told (Charles) I’d stop either on the way there or the way back, to discuss what he really is passionate about, the environment,” Biden told MSNBC.

The annual NATO summit is scheduled to take place in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 11 and 12.

Biden called Charles in early April to congratulate him on his accession to the throne.