Donald Trump invited to Queen’s memorial service in US after being left off funeral guestlist
Former President Donald Trump has reportedly been invited to a memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II in the US, after being left off the guestlist for her funeral in the UK.
Invitations to Trump and the other living former American presidents – Barrack Obama, George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter – and their wives were sent on Thursday, according to The Telegraph.
The event is called a Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the newspaper reported. It will be held on Wednesday, two days after the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey to which only President Joe Biden has been invited.
Trump and other former US presidents were excluded from the Queen’s funeral and a US delegation is not being allowed due to the high number of dignitaries expected to attend from around the world.
The Queen’s Colour Squadron will perform an honor guard and the music will represent four parts of the Union, according to The Telegraph. The Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, will preside over the ceremony.
Both the National Cathedral and the Church of England are part of the Anglican Communion.
The National Cathedral has been the venue for state funerals for four former US presidents: George HW Bush, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and Dwight D Eisenhower. It is expected to hold its capacity of about 1,700 people for the Queen’s memorial.
Dame Karen Pierce, the UK ambassador in Washington, and her husband Sir Charles Roxburgh sent the invitations to high-level US officials, a former Treasury official told The Telegraph.
Biden accepted the invitation to the Queen’s funeral earlier this week.
‘The invitation was extended to the US government for the President and the First Lady only,’ said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Biden on Monday will reportedly have an entourage of 400 special agents, making him the Queen’s most-protected mourner. He is apparently set to ride in his armored stretch Cadillac instead of a coach that other world leaders will share.
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Trump, who traveled to the UK for a state visit with the Queen in 2019, mourned her death and praised her.
‘Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Together with our family and fellow Americans, we send our sincere condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom during this time of great sorrow and grief,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
‘Melania and I will always cherish our time together with the Queen, and never forget Her Majesty’s generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humor. What a grand and beautiful lady she was – there was nobody like her!’
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