Joe Biden mourns Queen: US President will pay his respects to Her Majesty at Westminster Hall today before attending world leaders’ reception as talks with Liz Truss are called off
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US President Joe Biden is expected to pay tribute to the Queen today by joining the thousands who have marched past Her Majesty’s casket in Westminster Hall.
Biden is among a stream of world leaders who arrived in the UK this weekend for the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
His presidential plane, known as Air Force One, landed at Stansted Airport in Essex last night to be greeted by a small party.
This included Jane Hartley, the US Ambassador to the UK, and Jennifer Tolhurst, the Lord Lieutenant of Essex.
The US president and his wife, Jill, were then taken away in their presidential car called ‘The Beast’.
Mr Biden will today be one of those world leaders who will heed an invitation to witness the Queen’s state ceremony at Westminster Hall.
He will also attend a reception tonight with King Charles, along with other world leaders and international royals.
Although Liz Truss will also attend the reception tonight, the Prime Minister’s scheduled talks with Mr Biden in Downing Street have been canceled today.
Number 10 said Ms. Truss and the US president would instead hold a “full bilateral meeting” at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.
Joe Biden, pictured with wife Jill, is among a stream of world leaders who arrived in the UK this weekend for the Queen’s funeral on Monday
The US President is expected to pay tribute to the Queen today by joining the thousands who have marched past Her Majesty’s casket in Westminster Hall
Biden’s presidential plane, known as Air Force One, landed at Stansted Airport in Essex last night, after which he was greeted by a small party.
The US President and First Lady were then whisked away in their presidential car called ‘The Beast’
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, one of the first world leaders to arrive in London, paid her respects with a solemn appearance at Westminster Hall on Friday.
Biden and the First Lady had tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle last June to become the 13th US president to meet Her Majesty during her 70-year reign.
After the Queen’s death on September 8, Biden said Her Majesty’s legacy would “loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world.”
He added that the Queen had “defined an era” and hailed her as “a stateswoman of unparalleled dignity and steadfastness.”
The US president also paid tribute to the Queen’s “solidarity” after the 9/11 terror attacks “when she poignantly reminded us that “mourning is the price we pay for love.”
Despite strict guidelines from the State Department for international guests attending the Queen’s funeral, it has emerged that Mr Biden is not expected to accompany others on a bus to Monday’s event.
Biden and the First Lady had tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle last June to become the 13th US president to meet Her Majesty during her 70-year reign
About 500 guests from nearly 200 countries and territories will attend the funeral.
Leaked government documents show plans for global dignitaries to travel en masse in a shuttle bus to Westminster Abbey for Monday’s service, rather than private cars.
But British and US officials have since downplayed the prospect of Mr Biden having to travel to central London by bus.
They suggested that the US president could still use his armored vehicle – ‘The Beast’ – while traveling in the capital.
It has been claimed that Emperor Naruhito will be among those traveling to the funeral by bus.
‘The Beast’ is the name given to the armored limousine that transports American presidents.
The custom Cadillac is said to have eight-inch-thick doors, run-flat tires, bulletproof glass, its own oxygen supply, a few gallons of the president’s blood, and a fully sealed interior to fend off a chemical attack.
It is estimated at seven to nine tons.