Biden says he will attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

Source: Politico

President Joe Biden said Friday that he will attend the funeral of the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth, the most definitive comment to date from the White House on whether the president will travel for the service.

“I don’t know what the details are yet but I’ll be going,” Biden told reporters before boarding Air Force One after a speech in Ohio. The president also said he knows King Charles but has not yet spoken to him since the death of his mother.

Up until Biden’s remarks, the White House had not confirmed whether the president would attend. In a gaggle with reporters earlier Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to provide details, deferring to “official protocol” regarding invitations for the service.

The queen, 96, died on Thursday, ending her reign as the longest-serving British monarch. She held the crown for more than 70 years and led the monarchy through 14 U.S. presidencies. Leaders around the world mourned her death, with Biden remembering her as a “stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock Alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States.”

snip

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/09/biden-says-he-will-attend-queen-elizabeths-funeral-00055948

[peppertree]

1. And unlike Cheeto, he'd actually be welcome

"The pig in a tuxedo," Queen Elizabeth called him.

[getagrip_already]

8. I'll bet he is fuming he hasn't been invited.........

He will probably try to crash it. It's what they do.

[peppertree]

13. I'd dare him to try

He'll become the most infamous authoritarian to be detained in Britain since Pinochet in '99.

And this time, he won't have Thatcher to run interference for him.

[magicarpet]

24. People are saying,..

... tRUMP has already dialed up King Charles II.
tRUMP said he told the King that even though he was not yet invited to the Queen's funeral, he would be glad to come. But under one important condition.

tRUMP is to have full and exclusive use - and able to take a ride any time he wants - in the horse drawn Golden Carriage. The very same Golden Carriage that QE-II refused him to have a ride in after multiple requests during his last visit to Great Britain.

King Charles II then stated rather coldly. Yeah,.. I think about it,.. but I need to run that by the royal court first. Then I'll get back to ya.

Incidentally,.. my suggestion to you is do not purchase any advance reservation airline tickets to London on the day of my mother's funeral.

When you go through custom they might inform you that the King of England at the instructions of his mother before her death decreed - " If former President tRUMP intends to attend my funeral - stop him at the customs gate - deny him enter into the country and immediately send him back home to his mansion at Mar-a-Lago.

But as King I promise to check on the availability of Mother's horse drawn Golden Carriage and the ride you have so long anticipated.

Now please do not call Windsor Castle again.
Delightful speaking with you.
Now get off my phone - good bye.


+++×××+++×××+++×××

[magicarpet]

31. After the call trump then immediately sent King Charles II,...

... a hand written note deliver to Windsor Castle by special currier. It asked the King if tRUMP should wear the very same tuxedo he wore last time while in London ? Should he wear that very same tuxedo to QE-II's upcoming funeral ? The tuxedo that made tRUMP look like a severely obese penguin.

tRUMP has still not heard back or received a response from the King of England.

He anxiously awaits his reply.

[JohnnyRingo]

27. I'm not sure he has a passport right now.

They were collected in the raid.
I assume even he needs one, but I wouldn't trust that he'll return. He might get a room with Roman Polanski.

[SilasSouleII]

46. Pretty sure I read that they gave him back the passports

n/t.

[Rhiannon12866]

47. One of those three passports is one only given to presidents for use when they leave the country

TFG kept his. I'm hoping they didn't give that one back.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

17. "Fat guy in a little coat..."

[peppertree]

21. Goes to show what all that fast food can do to people

"Mine. All mine!"

[lambchopp59]

43. Oh, great quote for what she thought here:

Among the most embarrassingly assinine breaches of protocol among hundreds of foibles, oh, the look she could have burnt the orange doofus with here... unforgettable.
Unforgivable.
?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=480

[peppertree]

44. I bet she was thinking: "The THINGS one has to put up with, for the sake of diplomacy"

"Between Bush's killing my Victorian oak tree with that helicopter, and THIS oaf - I can't decide what's worse!"

[FakeNoose]

45. Same visit, dressed for dinner

You can tell they're both having loads of laughs.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I think this is highly appropriate. ♥

[jimfields33]

3. 100 percent yes.

I actually think all former presidents should go except one.

[SergeStorms]

34. I'd excuse Jimmy Carter.

His age would seem to be prohibitively advanced for a trip across the big pond.

[jimfields33]

36. I agree. He'd be there inspirit.

[muriel_volestrangler]

38. I'm not sure there'd be room for the former presidents

For foreign invitations, the priority will be to current heads of state and/or government, or their representatives. Commonwealth countries will probably get more invited, and countries she was queen of (Canada etc.) more still - all former PMs from them would seem quite reasonable, since they were "her PMs" (and current governor generals, and maybe former too). And for countries like the USA, they may invite current leading politicians (eg Nancy Pelosi) before starting on ex-presidents.

But then there's going to be loads of British invitations - current and former politicians, members of the Royal Household, representatives of the charities she was patron of, military, other parts of government (police, NHS, lords lieutenant (who represent her at county level in ceremonies - if you can't get a royal to your opening, you get your county's lord lieutenant instead), and then just friends.

So I wouldn't be surprised if they don't go for former presidents, just because Westminster Abbey doesn't have room for everyone you might invite.

[jimfields33]

41. I didn't realize that. Thank you!

[muriel_volestrangler]

42. I may be wrong - it's not as if I've looked up the capacity or anything

but there's certainly a lot of British representatives they could invite if the government chose to (and, being a state funeral, it is the government organising this, not the family). There's a good case for former presidents - the heads of state, her equivalents, of the most important ally and friendly country. But I wouldn't think it's a foregone conclusion there can be a huge US delegation.

[muriel_volestrangler]

48. It does look like there's space constraints, so I expect no former presidents

Westminster Abbey will be so packed for the event that it will be impossible for more than a single, senior representative per country and their other half to attend, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) lamented in the official protocol message regarding the event.

In the document, sent to overseas embassies late Saturday night, the department said it “regrets that, because of limited space at the state funeral service and associated events, no other members of the principal guest’s family, staff or entourage may be admitted.”

Heads of state unable to attend may choose someone else as their official representative, such as a head of government or senior minister.
...
On the day of the funeral, the heads of state and their partners will arrive at Westminster Abbey in escorted coaches from a location in west London, where “because of tight security and road restrictions” they will be required to leave their own cars.

https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-joe-biden-king-charles-westminster-abbeyonly-heads-of-state-plus-one-to-attend-queen-elizabeths-funeral/

That last bit's going to be fun, with what the US Secret Service reckons on other countries supplying security for the president ...

[Hekate]

6. Yes, it is -- and normal, unlike our last several years which were anything but

[getagrip_already]

9. not normal for potus to go... usually it's the vpotus who does state funerals....

But this was no usual woman.

[cab67]

15. Depends on the leader and the country.

If the Prime Minister of Canada or President of Mexico ever dies, the President would be in attendance.

Putin? I'd send the VP or Secretary of State.

[mountain grammy]

20. Yes indeed. President and Mrs. Biden will make us proud

and represent us with grace and dignity.

[Skittles]

25. it is indeed

a show of respect to the folk across the pond

[not fooled]

4. Great!

And he won't be a national embarrassment.

[Walleye]

5. Good.

I imagine he consulted the family

[Bayard]

7. Of course he will

There was genuine warmth and respect there.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

18. No doubt they know and remember Biden

from his eight years as VP. Biden will represent the U.S. well.

[cab67]

10. Y'all are triggering me.

One of my sisters has severe borderline personality disorder. When my parents died, she made each funeral all about her. My other sister and I were never really able to grieve.

There's no way the future jailbird who used to be president would ever let this be about the decedent and her family. Nor would he let it be about the people for whom she served as queen. He'd make it about himself.

(And I mean it when I say "for whom she served." More than any other hereditary monarch, I think, she really saw the monarchy as a duty and not a mere title. Which is an alien concept to the shaved, deranged orangutan whose presence used to besmirch the White House.)

If he somehow shows up in the UK around the time of the funeral, the press should keep away from him. This isn't about him.

And Biden knows how to be dignified.

[LoisB]

23. Thank goodness the U.S. will be represented by people with class.

[ShazzieB]

11. I'd have been very disappointed if he didn't go.

It's nice to have definite confirmation that he plans to be there.

[cab67]

12. I also think....

...that for something like this, there should be no question that the President of the United States would be in attendance.

Of course he or she would. She led the government that historically gave rise (albeit unwillingly) to ours. She was an important figure during WW2, the Cold War, and in everything that followed. She symbolized the close alliance not only between the United States and the UK, but between us and commonwealth nations including Australia and Canada.

That such a question would actually be open during the previous administration says much about the organism that led it.


I never met the Queen, but in case any of you are ever in Nairobi - the Railroad Museum there preserves the railway seat she occupied when she learned of her father's death and her assumption of the throne. You can even sit in it.

[SergeStorms]

37. Her great, great, great, great grandfather....

was King George III, the monarch during the American Revolution.

So she literally has skin (or in this case blood) in the United States of America's existence.

As an aside, she was also King George III's great, great, great grand-daughter. How can one person be both a great, great, great, great grand-daughter and a great, great, great grand-daughter? Don't ask, unless you want to wade hip-deep into royal bloodlines. It's excruciatingly complicated. 😉

[Tarheel_Dem]

14. Since this day had to come for the Queen, as it will for all of us, I am overjoyed that since...

the Obamas are gone from the WH, the Bidens will attend instead. They won't embarrass us, and will be respectful.

[rhiannon55]

26. Did you mean to say "the Obamas"?

I think you meant "the Trumps".....

[Tarheel_Dem]

29. I think you either misread my post, or I could've been clearer. I was saying that since the...

Obamas can't attend as our heads of state, that I'm glad the Bidens will be attending instead. I didn't mention the last guy's name intentionally. I hate saying his name. I hate the sound of his voice, and I hate the very sight of him. I try, desperately, not to turn every conversation into one about him. The world doesn't revolve around him, but DU certainly seems to.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

28. WHAT????

[Tarheel_Dem]

30. See Post #29. Apparently, I didn't word my response clearly enough.

[Aristus]

16. I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that Joe Biden is giving the Presidential

statement about the Queen's death. If TFG was in there, it would be a cringe-fest.

[fierywoman]

22. As of late last night, there was an article in The Guardian listing the condolences from

world leaders (and George Takei!) -- but there was nothing listed from tfg (although all other living US presidents were quoted.

[muriel_volestrangler]

40. Something was put up on "Truth Social" (hah!) in his name

but it was clearly written by someone else, since it was literate, and non-offensive. It was the obvious exception when compared with the rest of his recent unhinged rants.

[irisblue]

19. Truly he should. This also amps security up a million %

[Novara]

32. Does every discussion have to devolve to the orange fuck?

[ToxMarz]

35. I think if they're going to send the vice president to all the "lesser"

Heads of State funerals, she should get to go to the good ones too.

[Cha]

39. Excellent! TY!

[twodogsbarking]

49. We could also honor all those who lost their lives fighting the monarchy for independence.