JOE Biden will meet the King and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak when he visits the UK next week.

       The American president will visit Britain before heading to Lithuania and Finland in an overseas trip from July 9 to 13, the White House said.

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       King Charles, left, greets President of the United States Joe Biden in November 2021 Credit: AP

       Biden will begin his trip next Sunday in London, before meeting King Charles at Windsor Castle the following day.

       In a statement this afternoon, Buckingham Palace said: "The King will meet the President of the United States of America at Windsor Castle on Monday July 10."

       The US president did not attend Charles's coronation in May, sending first lady Jill Biden to represent his country instead.

       Yet Mr Biden did go to the funeral of Charles' mother Queen Elizabeth II last September, having joined Charles and other leaders for an evening reception before the service.

       In June, Mr Biden hosted British prime minister Rishi Sunak at the White House where the two leaders pledged continued co-operation in defending Ukraine.

       The main focus of Mr Biden's forthcoming five-day visit will be the annual Nato summit, held this year in Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

       Also planned are stops in Helsinki in Finland, to commemorate the Nordic country's entrance into the 31-nation military alliance in April.

       It comes after Biden last week blocked Britain's bid to lead Nato.

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       The Sun understands the White House rejected plans to make defence secretary Ben Wallace Nato’s next secretary-general.

       The current holder Jens Stoltenberg – a former Norwegian prime minister – is expected to extend for a record ninth year despite internal protests.

       PM Rishi Sunak had lobbied Mr Biden, 80, to back Britain’s bid when he visited the White House two weeks ago.

       The president at the time said Britain had a "very qualified" candidate for the key diplomatic job.

       Wallace, a former Army officer, was among the favourites to succeed Mr Stoltenberg after rallying global support for Ukraine and leading the charge on weapon donations, from Challenger 2 tanks to NLAW shoulder-launched missiles.

       Poland and eastern Nato states were among his biggest backers.

       But Mr Biden preferred the Dutch PM Mark Rutte and the Danish leader Mette Frederiksen, sources told The Sun.

       Former defence minister Mark Francois told The Sun: “As America is supposed to be our strongest ally, their decision not to back Ben Wallace is extremely disappointing.

       "It seems the ‘special relationship’ is actually not so special after all.”

       Announcing the plans for next week's visit, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: "President Biden is scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom, Lithuania, and Finland from July 9-13.

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       "President Biden will first travel to London, United Kingdom for engagements with King Charles III and prime minister Rishi Sunak to further strengthen the close relationship between our nations."

       Mr Biden made a brief trip to Northern Ireland earlier this year to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, meeting Mr Sunak for brief talks in Belfast.