Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and their family are leaving the United States today to proceed to London for the Grand Coronation of Britain’s King Charles III slated on May 6, joining other world leaders and dignitaries.
The First Family’s trip, following the President’s five-day official visit to the US, is in response to the invitation sent by the United Kingdom to Mr. Marcos as relayed by UK Ambassador Laure Beaufils.
In a statement, Malacañan Palace confirmed the President had accepted the invitation for his attendance at the coronation of the new British sovereign. It was still unclear at presstime who in the presidential entourage to the US would accompany the Marcoses to London as well.
The coronation will be held at Westminster Abbey on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), the Presidential Communications Office said.
The PCO said Mr. Marcos and the First Lady accepted the invitation of the Master of the Household, upon command of His Majesty, to a reception at Buckingham Palace on May 5 ahead of the coronation of King Charles and Her Majesty the Queen Consort, Camilla Parker-Bowles.
A trip to Indonesia soon follows for Mr. Marcos as he attends the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.
The trip slated from May 10 to 11 is upon the invitation of ASEAN chair Indonesian President Joko Widodo, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
The Palace has yet to release the list of the people who will be accompanying the President and the First Lady to the UK.
According to Philippine Ambassador to the UK Teodoro Locsin Jr., President Marcos personally knew King Charles during his early adulthood, and they even had a chance to play polo together.
Charles became king when his mother Queen Elizabeth II died last September 8. He also took over as head of state of 14 Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Charles Philip Arthur George chose his regnant name Charles III following his ascension to the throne. His mother Queen Elizabeth was the longest-reigning British monarch, which also made him the longest-serving Prince of Wales.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is eager to meet President Marcos at the coronation, Ambassador Beaufils said on Tuesday.
The British envoy said they were working on setting up a meeting between the two leaders on Saturday, the day of the coronation, but nothing had been finalized.
“We hope so. The Prime Minister said that he would very much like to meet President Marcos so we’re in the process of trying to make that happen. We very much hope that the meeting will take place Saturday and we think it’s likely to take place on Saturday,” she added.
In a media briefing on Friday, Angelito Nayan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the DFA-Office of ASEAN Affairs, said Mr. Marcos is expected to “assert the importance of demonstrating ASEAN centrality in the region amid geopolitical rivalries.”
The Chief Executive is also seen to advance the Philippines’ priorities in ASEAN by boosting cooperation in various areas such as food and energy security, economic recovery, and protection of migrant workers, among others.
“One of the important outcomes of this summit is the leaders’ declaration on combatting trafficking in persons caused by the use and misuse of technology,” Nayan said.
“This is something that the Philippines fully supports — owing to our advocacy in ASEAN on the protection of migrant workers, and the Philippines’ role as lead shepherd for ASEAN cooperation against trafficking,” he added. — Vince Lopez
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