First lady Jill Biden has arrived at Westminster Abbey, amid a wave of world leaders filing into the historic venue for the coronation.

Dozens of leaders will be heading to the Abbey but US President Joe Biden, leader of one of the UK’s closest allies, is not present. 

Instead, the first lady is leading the US delegation. Jill Biden, who is traveling with her granddaughter Finnegan Biden, touched down in England late Thursday evening and takes on a packed schedule of events on the three-day trip. The first lady said it was an "honor to represent the United States for this historic moment and celebrate the special relationship between our countries."

Meanwhile, President Biden spoke on the phone with King Charles III on April 4 to underscore “the strength of relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples,” a White House readout of the call said.

That may, on the surface, seem odd given the US-UK special relationship. But actually, it's worth noting that no American president has ever attended a British monarch’s coronation, as US officials noted when reports first emerged of Biden’s absence.

Biden has already “conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date,” according to the White House readout of the call with King Charles.

Both the president and the first lady traveled to London in September to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned for 70 years.

Thirteen other presidents sat in the Oval Office during the late Queen’s reign, and she met all of them, except for Lyndon Johnson.

Barack Obama called her “truly one of my favorite people,” while Ronald Reagan bonded with her over country life and Bill Clinton was impressed by her political aptitude.