The British government invitation does not allow President Joe Biden to bring any of his predecessors
President Joe Biden will not bring his predecessor — or any other former president — to accompany him when he travels to London for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, the White House said.
In response to a question about whether Biden would invite Donald Trump or any of the other three living former presidents to join an official delegation to attend the sovereign’s funeral, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded. told reporters that the official invitation from Her Majesty’s Government was extended only to the sitting President and his spouse, First Lady Jill Biden.
Jean-Pierre explained that the invitation was transmitted on Saturday as a diplomatic note from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office protocol directorate, and that Biden accepted it a day later.
“The invitation was extended to the US government only for the president and the first lady,” she stated.
The queen’s seven decades on the throne spanned the terms of 14 US presidents, from the 33rd, Harry S. Truman, to the 46th, Biden. Of those 14, the only one she did not meet in person was 36, Lyndon Johnson.