MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met King Charles III ahead of the latter's official coronation along with other world leaders at the Buckingham Palace.
Marcos earlier flew from the United States to United Kingdom, along with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, after being invited to the British monarch's coronation ceremony at the Westminster Abbey on Saturday.
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A pre-coronation reception for overseas representatives was held a day before the official ceremony.
"President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos, Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos met with King Charles III at the Buckingham Palace Reception for Heads of State and other visiting dignitaries ahead of the #Coronation," said the British Embassy Manila in a tweet Saturday.
???????????????????? President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos met with King Charles III at the Buckingham Palace Reception for Heads of State and other visiting dignitaries ahead of the #Coronation @bongbongmarcos pic.twitter.com/QkENk1ZmwB
— British Embassy Manila ???????????????? (@ukinphilippines) May 6, 2023
Marcos' attendance is seen as a a goodwill between the Philippines and the UK, further strengthening bilateral ties between the two states.
The president earlier said that he would speak with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the sidelines of the coronation Saturday.
Prior to this, Marcos was welcomed by the king's representative alongside Philippine Ambassador to the UK Teodoro Locsin Jr. after arriving at the London Gatwick Airport last Friday.
"Honored to have been greeted by a representative of the royal court upon our arrival in the UK for the coronation of King Charles III," Marcos said in a separate tweet Saturday.
"We made the most of our time at Gatwick Airport, meeting with its executives and taking a comprehensive tour. We gathered valuable insights to improve Philippine airports and boost tourism at home."
Honored to have been greeted by a representative of the royal court upon our arrival in the UK for the coronation of King Charles III.
— Bongbong Marcos (@bongbongmarcos) May 5, 2023
We made the most of our time at Gatwick Airport, meeting with its executives and taking a comprehensive tour. We gathered valuable insights to… pic.twitter.com/TTYR4fpuVB
Charles III will be officially crowned as king of UK and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth countries — this after Britain's long history of colonizing countries. Jamaica and Belize have both signalled this week that they would be moving towards being a republic.
Not everyone is too keen about the coronation, especially with the younger population who called to scap the the monarchy. Republicans who have been clamoring for an elected head of state have promised to stage a protest as well.