White House confirms President Joe Biden will attend Queen's funeral
US President Joe Biden will attend the Queen’s funeral, officials have confirmed.
The White House said that Biden will attend the funeral at Westminster Abbey, along with his wife, Dr Jill Biden.
When President Biden and the First Lady met the Queen in an official visit last June, he said the monarch reminded him of his mother.
"We had a long talk. She was very generous," he said of their meeting at Windsor Caste.
"I don’t think she’d be insulted but she reminded me of my mother. In terms of the look of her and just the generosity," he told reporters.
He added: “She was very gracious.”
The Queen hosted President Biden and Dr Biden for tea at Windsor Castle before the pair headed on to the Nato summit in Brussels.
On Sunday, Mr Biden remembered the words of comfort that the late monarch had provided to the United States following the September 11 attacks more than two decades ago.
“Grief is the price we pay for love,” said Mr Biden, quoting part of the Queen’s message to America during his remarks on the 21st anniversary of the attacks.
Speaking at a commemoration at the Pentagon, Mr Biden said the Queen’s words remain as poignant as they did 21 years ago, but the weight of loss also remained heavy.
The US President is among the first world leaders to officially confirm his attendance at the Queen's Monday, 19 September, funeral, after the government confirmed the date.
Heads of state from all around the world, members of Europe's royal families, and other key figures in public life are expected to attend.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has are among world leaders who have confirmed they will be travelling to attend the Queen's funeral.
The remarkable life of the Queen remembered in our latest episode of What You Need To Know