When King George VI. died in February 1952, US President Harry S. Truman expressed his “deepest sympathy” to the British, as is appropriate in such a case. However, Truman did not attend the funeral shortly thereafter; Dean Acheson, the secretary of state, came instead. The question of which country sends whom to such an event also has political significance. After all, the British monarch is the head of state, he has a function despite his non-political behavior prescribed by the constitution. It may sometimes look different these days, but events such as the appointment or death of the British regent are more than a real costume drama for royalists.
The monarch is therefore the only person in the kingdom entitled to a state funeral, although there are exceptions, such as the funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965. The funerals of George VI. and Churchill were the only two in the kingdom at the highest diplomatic rank after the Second World War. However, the then incumbent US President did not attend the second either. Lyndon B. Johnson, an admirer of Churchill, actually wanted to come but had to cancel due to his poor health. The palace is said to have been somewhat surprised when Joe Biden was asked by journalists in Washington whether he would accept the invitation from London to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II next Monday. “Yes,” Biden replied. He does not know all the details, but it is certain that he will come.
Helicopters are not welcome
Even without the US President, planning the funeral is extremely time-consuming and complex, and the question of which state guests want to attend and which are allowed to do so can become a political issue. In diplomatic circles, for example, the question was asked whether Israel’s President Isaac Herzog would come to London, after all it was recently pointed out in Israel that the Queen has never visited the country in the 70 years of her reign. Several Israeli media reported over the weekend that Herzog will travel to England. However, an official confirmation is still pending.
In any case, only one representative from each country is invited: in consultation with the British government, the palace has only notified the respective president plus wife (or, in rare cases, husband as well). The “format” is “1+1”, as it is called in diplomatic language, which means: no delegations, no security officials, no other ministers either, only the guest with an escort. There were mixed reactions among those invited to the fact that the guests were apparently expressly told not to use helicopter flights or their own state vehicles. Instead, the high-ranking guests are to be transported to Westminster Abbey by bus, which should be an interesting project from the point of view of the security officials in the various countries. So far, the palace has not wanted to comment on whether an exception will be made for Biden.
The Biden couple met the Queen for tea in Windsor in June 2021. The US President later admitted that the Queen reminded him of his mother.
(Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Biden met Elizabeth II at the G-7 summit in Cornwall last year, after which the Bidens were invited to tea with the Queen in Windsor. He didn’t think he would insult her, Biden said afterwards, but “she reminds me of my mother because of her looks and because of her generosity”. She was “full of grace, that’s not surprising”, it was a great conversation. Biden said, “We had a great talk,” the way Americans talk when they’ve just had tea with the Queen.
Donald Trump also met the Queen, and in doing so he made a few Trump-typical embarrassments, which the British very well registered, in contrast to Trump. It is unclear whether the former US President will also be among the guests, and the palace did not want to comment on that either in its current daily press briefings. However, due to the diplomatic format, Trump would need his own invitation.
Condolence book entry by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, signed “in silent sympathy”.
(Photo: Office of the Federal President)
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will travel from Germany with his wife Elke Büdenbender. Steinmeier canceled his originally planned visit to Costa Rica. Steinmeier will probably arrive in London on Sunday, on Monday he will fly directly to a planned visit to Mexico after his return to Germany. Steinmeier has already written in the book of condolences in the British Embassy in Berlin: “Her Majesty has reached out to my country for reconciliation,” Steinmeier wrote, “and Germany remains committed to your example of friendship and humanity.” It is not yet known who Steinmeier and Büdenbender will be sitting next to on the bus on Monday.