The White House said President Joe Biden will not take his predecessor – or any other former president – to accompany him when he travels to London for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
Asked if Biden would invite Donald Trump or any of the three other surviving former presidents to join an official delegation at the late king’s memorial service, White House Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre told reporters that the official invitation from His Majesty’s Government extended to the president The current wife and first lady Jill Biden only.
Ms Jean-Pierre said the invitation was sent on Saturday as a diplomatic note from the Protocol Department at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with Mr Biden accepting it the following day.
“The United States government has been invited for the president and first lady only,” she said.
Foreign heads of state and their partners have been asked to arrive in the UK on commercial flights and told that no helicopters will be allowed to fly them around London.
They were also told that they would not be allowed to use official cars for the funeral on Monday 19 September, but would instead be bused to Westminster Abbey from a location in west London, to me Politico.
The late Queen’s seven decades on the throne spanned 14 US presidents, from the 33rd – Harry S. Truman – to Biden, the 44th. Of those 14, the only one you didn’t meet in person was #36, Lyndon Johnson.
After the Queen’s death was announced, Mr Trump, who had been invited for a state visit to the UK in 2019, Truth Social . took over to praise her “gracious friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humour,” adding that she was a “beautiful lady.”
“Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Along with our family and fellow Americans, we send our deepest condolences to the royal family and the people of the United Kingdom during this time of great grief and sorrow,” he wrote.
The former president continued, “Melania and I will always cherish our time with the Queen, and we will never forget Her Majesty’s gracious friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humour. What a great and beautiful lady – there was no one like her!”
The former president visited the United Kingdom on three occasions during his time in office. In July 2018, he met the Queen and Prime Minister Theresa May, and returned in June of the following year for an official state visit and the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landing.
In December 2019, he returned to the NATO summit and met again with the Queen.
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