Donald Trump will not receive an invitation to the Queen’s funeral next week, leaked documents say.
The former US President, who has often spoken of his deep and personal admiration for the late monarch, will not be among the mourners at next Monday’s service as numbers are limited due to the crowded gathering.
Only current heads of state and their spouses or partners will be invited, meaning Joe and Jill Biden will be among those paying their respects at Westminster Abbey.
Donald Trump will not receive an invitation to the Queen’s funeral next week, leaked documents say
Only current heads of state and their spouses or partners will be invited, meaning Joe and Jill Biden will be among those paying their respects at Westminster Abbey
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the abbey will be so full that it would be impossible to extend more invitations, according to documents seen by Politico.
The guidelines sent to the embassies on Saturday evening said the department “regrets that due to space limitations, no other members of the principal guest’s family, staff or entourage may be admitted at the state funeral service and associated events.”
Heads of State who are unable to attend may elect someone else to be their official representative in their place.
Biden said on Friday he intends to travel to London for the funeral, although incumbent presidents have not attended the last two state funerals for Winston Churchill and George VI.
Questions have been raised over whether Trump, who paid tribute to the Queen on Saturday and wrote for that meeting her was “the most extraordinary honor of my life”, would attend the service.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania were received by Queen Elizabeth II for a full state visit in 2019. It was Trump’s second visit to Britain as President
Trump met the Queen twice as President, first at Windsor Castle for tea in 2018 and then during a full state visit the following year.
He often spoke about how much his Scottish-born mother loved the royals and the Queen in particular.
And he made it clear that the two visits to the UK were among the highlights of his time as President.
After their first meeting, when he inspected the guard and had tea with the monarch, he said they got on extremely well.
“Then we’ll go upstairs and have tea. And I didn’t know that — it was supposed to be 15 minutes, but it was like an hour,” he said.
“Because we understood each other. And she liked our First Lady and our First Lady liked her.
“But we got on fantastically. But time went by – you know, sometimes you get along and time goes by.”
Many other leaders have also signaled their intention to attend the funeral, including Jacinda Ardern, Justin Trudeau and Anthony Albanese.
King Charles III will also host a reception for world leaders at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening.
President Donald Trump with Queen Elizabeth II after hailing her as a “great, great woman” at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2019
Trump used his Truth Social platform to deliver his tribute on Thursday afternoon
Visitors can witness the laying out of the Queen’s body and sign the book of condolences at Lancaster House.
On the day of the funeral, they will travel in escorted coaches from West London to Westminster Abbey, where they will have to leave their own cars due to security and road restrictions.
According to the document, world leaders have also been urged to travel on commercial flights and told they will not be allowed to use helicopters to travel through the UK.
The FCDO called for trade travel “wherever possible,” Politico said.
“Multiple and comprehensive layers of security will be in place across London and at all official locations used for the State Funeral and related events,” said an FCDO document seen by Politico.
Meanwhile, the use of helicopter transfers between airports and venues has been banned “due to the number of flights operating at the time,” it has been reported.
Politico said the document also detailed some of the obligations for heads of state related to the funeral.
Heads of state from around the world will gather at Westminster Abbey (pictured) next week for Her Majesty’s funeral
These include receptions hosted by the King and new Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, an offer to visit the Queen’s body when it is laid out and a book of condolence to be signed at Lancaster House.
It has been reported that foreign leaders will be invited to pay homage to the Queen at Lancaster House, but it can only last up to three minutes.
And “due to the extensive ceremonial program surrounding the state funeral and the logistical challenges, requests for bilateral talks on this occasion will not be considered,” the leaked document said.
The FCDO was asked for comment.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died at her summer home in Balmoral, Scotland on Thursday aged 96, sparking a wave of grief across the UK and around the world.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets of Edinburgh today to witness Her Majesty being transported to the Palace of Holyroodhouse
The Queen died at Balmoral Castle on Thursday 8 September aged 96
Her eldest son Charles was proclaimed king yesterday while her coffin was transferred from Balmoral to Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh today.
Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of the Scottish capital as their entourage arrived, while family members including Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and the Earl and Countess of Wessex were present as it drove into the city.
They gave her a guard of honor along with the King’s Bodyguard for Scotland (Royal Company of Archers) when she was carried into the royal palace.
She will rest overnight in Edinburgh before being carried to St Giles Cathedral in the city in the afternoon, where she will be joined by the King and other family members.
Her body will then rest in the cathedral until Tuesday, when it will be flown to RAF Northolt in a military aircraft. She is accompanied on this journey by Princess Anne.
On Wednesday afternoon, Her Majesty’s body will travel in a public procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where the coffin will be placed on a raised platform and crowned with the Imperial crown, orb and scepter.
It is guarded by soldiers 24 hours a day and will be guarded for the next four days until the morning of her funeral on Monday September 19.
The coffin will then be taken in procession to Westminster Abbey for her funeral service, which will be attended by heads of state from around the world.
After this service she will then be taken in a hearse to St George’s Chapel in Windsor Chapel where a funeral service will be held.