Donald Trump was not invited to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey next week, while President Joe Biden and other world leaders who will be in attendance are being told they must travel together by bus.
According to guidance from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) first reported by Politico, foreign heads of state and their spouses arriving in London for the funeral are being asked to do so on commercial flights “where possible”. This is because London Heathrow airport will not be available for private flight arrangements or aircraft parking.
Leaders arriving on private flights are asked to go to airports around the city that are less busy. Additionally, helicopter transport between airports and venues has been banned “due to the number of flights operating at this time,” according to FCDO.
On the day of the funeral, the heads of state and their partners will arrive at Westminster Abbey in escorted coaches from a location in west London. They will be required to leave their own cars “because of tight security and road restrictions.”
After the funeral, leaders will walk to Dean’s Yard, still within the grounds of the abbey, to attend a reception hosted by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
Once the reception is over, foreign leaders will return by coach to west London to collect their cars.
Since Westminster Abbey will be packed, only one senior representative per country, along with their spouse, are invited to attend the funeral.
The FCDO said in the guidance it “regrets that, because of limited space at the state funeral service and associated events, no other members of the principal guest’s family, staff or entourage may be admitted.”
President Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden will be the only official representatives of the U.S. at the funeral. “There will be no delegation because we have only two seats for the funeral,” a senior official told CBS on Monday.
Trump advisers had hoped that the former president would be invited to the funeral as a member of Biden’s delegation.
“Biden should include Trump, the way Obama [was] included with Mandela,” a senior Trump adviser told The Daily Beast.
On Monday, the White House confirmed that none of Biden’s predecessors will be accompanying the current president to the funeral.
“The invitation was extended to the US government for the President and the First Lady only,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.