As he stood in front of the casket, Biden took a deep breath before making the sign of the cross and then placing his hand over his heart. With the visit, the president and first lady Jill Biden became the latest — and highest profile — royal family visitors to a state that has drawn thousands of people in lines that stretch for miles. “She was the same in person as her image,” Biden said Sunday after signing a book of condolences for her. “Decent, dignified and all about service.” Biden’s itinerary has been closely watched by the British public, from his arrival on Air Force One on Saturday night, which British dignitaries he chooses to join, to his use of the presidential limousine known as ‘The Beast’ while other world leaders are relegated to buses. With a new monarch in King Charles III and a newly installed prime minister in Liz Truss, the UK is experiencing an “extremely rare” period of political transition and Britons see the “special relationship” between the UK and the US as a source of continuity and stability, said Brian Klass, associate professor of world politics at University College London. White House officials said Biden’s trip would be largely a show of respect for the queen and the British people rather than a political or diplomatic mission, even as the gathering of hundreds of heads of state and officials could highlight a range of global flashpoints and highlight emerging tensions between London and Washington. Why is the world so fascinated by Queen Elizabeth? Biden was initially on a list of foreign leaders the British government said Truss would meet before the funeral, but the White House said Saturday the meeting will take place next week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Earlier in the week, White House aides had declined to outline an agenda of policy goals or preview any diplomatic meetings. “The main reason we’re going to London, of course, is to pay our respects to the Queen and the Royal Family and the people of Great Britain,” White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “This is the main purpose of the visit. I don’t have any other meetings to talk about right now.” When Biden’s UK itinerary was released hours later, it did not include meetings with dignitaries outside the royal family. As well as visiting Westminster Hall on Sunday, the president signed the official book of condolence for the Queen and attended a reception for world leaders hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. The first lady joined him for each of the events as part of a limited US delegation that does not include any former US presidents. He will attend the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday before returning to Washington and beginning a week of high-stakes diplomacy at the United Nations. White House aides say Biden will wait until the General Assembly, which he attends in New York starting Tuesday, to push his foreign policy vision to his fellow world leaders. That’s probably the safest approach, given the political sensitivities at the Queen’s funeral, Klass said. “There would be a lot of downside to Biden making this visit for politics because it’s supposed to be about the Queen,” he said. “I think the trip will be extremely risk averse. There is no advantage in rocking the boat.” But the president, who previously chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and regularly boasts about the personal relationships he has built with foreign officials during his half-century in public life, could find it difficult to avoid politics when surrounded by the his colleagues in the world. stage. The gathering of so many world leaders – including officials from France, Germany, India, Poland and China – has already sparked debate over issues such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, stubbornly high global inflation, its growing sphere of influence China, climate change, colonialism and threats to democracy around the world. Many of the faces in the crowd at the funeral will be familiar to the president. “I’ve known every major world leader for the last 40 years,” Biden said during a commencement speech at the University of South Carolina in December, repeating a favorite line. “I have spoken to more than 140 heads of state since I became president.” Biden respected the queen. But his Irish roots made it complicated. While Biden has spoken with Truss, he has yet to meet personally with the 47-year-old prime minister who took office earlier this month. It is rare for an American president to visit the UK without meeting the prime minister, but the circumstances of this visit — the funeral of a queen who served for 70 years — are also rare. It remains possible that Biden and Truss will meet by chance, as they will be attending many of the same events in London. Truss has taken a hard line against Russia and its aggression toward Ukraine, an approach in line with what Biden has sought from his foreign counterparts. But on other issues, including a post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland and a possible trade deal between the United Kingdom and the United States, Truss’s views do not align so neatly with Biden’s position. By avoiding such potential flashpoints during the trip, Biden would aim to signal the support of the British people as they take time to mourn and remember Elizabeth, who has largely avoided political battles. Biden said Sunday that the queen, with whom he went to tea last year at Windsor Castle, reminded him of his mother in the way she touched him when she bowed. “He had this look of ‘Are you okay, is there anything I can do for you, anything you need?’ ” he said. “But also, ‘Make sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.’ ” The president adjusted his schedule to attend the funeral, changing the date of his speech in the United States from Tuesday to Wednesday. While Biden is traveling with fewer aides than usual and has no official bilateral meetings or press statements planned, his arrival with the full apparatus of the US presidency will no doubt leave an impression on those looking for clues about the state of the UK-US relationship. Some other foreign leaders have been strongly encouraged by the British government to leave their private jets behind and trade their personal limousines for buses, in part because of the logistical difficulties involved in hosting so many diplomatic entourages. Biden, however, received a warm welcome as he arrived out of London on Air Force One and traveled in a motorcade of at least 15 vehicles. The White House said the official invitation to the United States to attend the funeral was for Biden and the first lady only. Queen Elizabeth died on September 8 at the age of 96. Biden was the 13th US president she had met during a tenure that spanned seven decades.
