WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, headed to London on Saturday to attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, departing Washington without former US presidents, who are not attending the somber event . The White House said earlier this week that the royal invitation to the funeral, which will take place on Monday at Westminster Abbey, was for the Bidens only. The Queen died on September 8 after 70 years on the throne, sparking grief and mourning across the UK and around the world. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up He had met many US presidents, including, in more recent years, Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George W. Bush. She met 13 of the last 14 US presidents, all but Lyndon Johnson and starting with Harry Truman in 1951, when she was still a princess. read more The Bidens, who joined the Queen for tea in June 2021, are due to arrive in London on Saturday night. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he attends the 45th Congressional Hispanic Institute gala to kick off the White House celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, in Washington, U.S., September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Biden will hold a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Liz Truss at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, instead of meeting in London on Sunday, her office said on Saturday. On Sunday, the Bidens are scheduled to pay their respects to the late sovereign, whose coffin lies in Westminster Hall. They will then sign an official book of condolence before attending a reception hosted by King Charles. Almost 100 presidents and heads of government are due to attend the state funeral on Monday. read more Biden, 79, said the queen reminded him of his mother. The president is intimately familiar with grief, having lost his grown son to cancer in 2015 and his wife and young daughter in a car crash decades ago. The president and his wife will return to Washington on Monday after the funeral. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report by Jeff Mason. Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal. Editor: Daniel Wallis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
