The Queen’s funeral is going to be an official event, the likes which the world has not seen in recent history. Dignitaries and diplomats from all over the world will be coming over to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen had met with several Presidents of the United States over her long reign. The first US President the Queen met was Harry Truman and the last was Joe Biden who she met just last year.
After Donald Trump won the Presidential Elections in the United States in 2017, it shocked a lot of countries around the world. Similarly, in the United Kingdom, sentiments regarding Trump were not too warm.
When Trump made his first visit to the United Kingdom in 2018 as President, it was considered a working visit and he was not extended an invitation by the Queen, which was the usual protocol when a Head of State visits the United Kingdom.
His planned visit for 2018 had caused a lot of unrest among Britons. Over 250,000 people officially protested the President’s entry into their country. Then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May saw the backlash and was forced to change the location of her dinner with then-President Trump to Blenheim Palace, 50 miles outside the city.
The House of Commons also did not extend an invitation to President Trump for a visit to the parliament and to address it either. This was again, standard practice as invitations were extended previously to Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, both of whom had addressed the parliament.
But perhaps, the most embarrassing moment for Trump was when the mayor of London himself allowed protestors to fly a giant balloon that depicted President Trump as a pouting baby in a diaper holding a phone in his small hands.
This was the final straw for Trump who called out Khan, calling him a “stone cold loser” and said to The Sun, a tabloid that famously leans right, “I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London. I used to love London as a city …But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?”
Anti-Trump organizers were at every stop of the President’s visit to protest his being there. When Trump was finally invited to Windsor Castle for tea with Queen Elizabeth, protestors were there to demonstrate their distaste for his presence in their country.
His visit to the UK in 2019 was different because he demanded it be. He asked to stay overnight at Buckingham Palace, a request that had been denied since the palace was said to be going through renovations. Trump’s staff did their best to wrangle an invite for an overnight stay at the palace but were unsuccessful.
Knowing about this entire exchange, the British ambassador in Washington warned the Home Office about how “inept” and “incompetent” the President was. When these cables were leaked to the media, Trump was upset and demanded the diplomat’s recall back to the United States. As a result, the ambassador did lose his job in Washington D.C.
While an overnight stay was not extended to Trump, he was extended an invite to a Queen’s banquet at Buckingham Palace. Even the President’s request of his four children and their spouses to receive invitations was accepted.
The evening was largely free of incident, apart from when Trump gave a speech where he referred to the Queen as a “a great, great woman,” and then placed a hand awkwardly on her back, in a gesture he probably thought of as appreciative but in reality was a breach of royal protocol.
READ MORE
- “Disgraced” Prince Andrew “excluded from siblings’” salute to mom Queen Elizabeth’s coffin
- Queen’s bittersweet last message to grandson Prince Harry finally revealed on his birthday
Later in an interview, Trump said of his banquet with the Queen, “I have such a great relationship [with the Queen], and we were laughing and having fun. And her people said she hasn’t had so much fun in 25 years. Then I got criticized for it because they said we were having too much fun… I feel I know her so well and she certainly knows me very well right now, but we have a very good relationship with the United Kingdom.”
But it seems like Trump might have been wrong about just how much the Queen valued him and their friendship. According to reports, current President of the United States Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden have received invited to the Queen’s funeral in London but such an invite has not been extended to Donald Trump.
Apart from Trump, even former living Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W Bush did not receive invited to the Queen’s funeral in London.
Instead, these men received invites from the British Government to attend a vigil in Washington DC. “We are following convention as you’d expect and have invited all former Presidents as well as President and Dr. Biden and other members of the Administration,’ a British embassy spokesperson said to the media.
The reason they have not extended invites for the state funeral in London to former Presidents is suspected to be because of the maximum capacity of Westminister Abbey which is around 2200 people. The 2200 guest list also includes 200 everyday heroes which include NHS staff who performed their duties during the Covid-19 outbreak with the utmost dedication.
According to reports, the former Presidents have been extended an invite to a special service of thanksgiving at Washington’s National Cathedral on Wednesday. The invite described the event as a ‘Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’.
The event will reportedly feature the honor guard from the Queen’s Colour Squadron. The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington will likely be presiding over the service.
Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, the presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, who also gave a sermon at Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle is also expected to say a few words at the event.
None of the former Presidents have commented on whether they will be attending the memorial service for Queen Elizabeth in Washington D.C.
The outpouring of grief and love globally after the Queen’s death has been immense. The Royal Family have been moved by the support they have received, a statement from them said they ‘wish to send their sincere gratitude for the messages of condolence received from around the world’, adding they have been ‘deeply moved by the global response and affection shown for the Queen as people join them in mourning the loss of Her Majesty’.
The Queen’s funeral will be a stately affair and will have several heads of state present to pay their final respects to the Queen. The funeral of the monarch comes 70 years after the death of her own father in 1952 which led to her becoming Queen.
We send our deepest regards to everyone mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth.
What do you think of Trump not being invited to the funeral? Let us know in the comments!
