Biden says he will attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral
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President Biden says he will travel to England for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral later this month.
“I don’t know what the details are yet, but I’ll be going,” Biden told reporters Friday when asked if he will be in attendance.
The queen died Thursday at age 96 as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. Prince Charles, her son, became king.
“I know him,” Biden said. “I haven’t spoken to him. I did not call him yet.”
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said it wishes for the mourning period to be observed from now until seven days after the queen’s funeral. The date of her funeral is yet to be confirmed.
Biden, who met with the queen at Windsor Castle last year on his first overseas trip as president, mourned her passing in a lengthy statement released by the White House.
“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era,” Biden said. “In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her. An enduring admiration for Queen Elizabeth II united people across the Commonwealth. The seven decades of her history-making reign bore witness to an age of unprecedented human advancement and the forward march of human dignity.
“She was the first British monarch to whom people all around the world could feel a personal and immediate connection,” Biden continued, “whether they heard her on the radio as a young princess speaking to the children of the United Kingdom, or gathered around their televisions for her coronation, or watched her final Christmas speech or her Platinum Jubilee on their phones. And she, in turn, dedicated her whole life to their service.”
The queen met with 13 sitting presidents of the United States during her 70-year reign.
“Queen Elizabeth II was a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock Alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States,” he added. “She helped make our relationship special.”
Biden also issued a proclamation directing that all American flags be flown at half-staff “as a mark of respect” for the queen’s memory until sunset on the day of her interment.
