President Biden will be able to take the armored Beast to the Queen‘s funeral next week while ‘lesser’ world leaders will be asked to take the shared bus, as is standard protocol.
Logistical preparations are underway for the largest gathering of foreign dignitaries on British soil since former Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s funeral in 1965, and funeral planners worry that gathering over 100 kings, queens and heads of state will clog up the streets surrounding Westminster Abbey, where the service will take place on Monday, Sept. 19.
While many world leaders will be asked to ride shared buses in from an undisclosed location in west London, there will be exceptions for the most prominent – including Biden, according to The UK Times.
President Biden and First Lady Jill will be able to take the armored Beast to the Queen’s funeral next week while ‘lesser’ world leaders will be asked to take the shared bus, as is standard protocol
The Beast, the U.S. president’s $1.5million Cadillac, boasts of night vision cameras, tear gas cannons, and 8 inches of armor
The Beast, the U.S. president’s $1.5million Cadillac, boasts of night vision cameras, tear gas cannons, and 8 inches of armor.
Its doors weigh as much as those on a Boeing 757 aircraft and its tires are pneumatic run-flats so the vehicle can still drive even if they are deflated. The president also can use a state-of-the-art communication system that is built into the Beast, which weighs about 20,000 pounds.
There is also a secure oxygen system and a supply of the president’s own blood in case of an emergency.
The vehicle was built to withstand chemical and biological attacks as well as bullets and explosions, with its chassis said to be effectively ‘indestructible.’
Its windows are said to be 3 inches thick while the steel-and-ceramic armor is said to be 8 inches thick.
Based on security concerns, several others, including President Macron of France, President Herzog of Israel and Emperor Naruhito of Japan are likely to have their own transportation.
All countries with diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom will be asked to have a representative at the service, though delegations will be smaller than usual. All countries have been told their maximum allocation of seats is limited to the head of state or representative plus their partner.
Buckingham Palace issued a personal invitation to the first couple on late Saturday night and the Bidens accepted it on Sunday.
The guest list has not yet been finalized, but despite the war with Ukraine, Russia is expected to be represented by its ambassador and North Korea is also expected to be represented, according to The Times.
It remains unclear if any other presidents will attend the funeral service, which will take place on Monday, Sept. 19, at Westminster Abbey.
The palace could issue personal invitations to any one it chooses but has not said if there will be invites for Donald and Melania Trump, Barack and Michelle Obama, George W. and Laura Bush, or Bill and Hillary Clinton.
The Trump, Obama, and Clinton offices have not responded to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Biden’s motorcade The Beast crosses a bridge on the way to his summit with Putin in Geneva
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II was brought to St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland
The White House confirmed only President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were invited to The Queen’s funeral next week and that there was no request for an official American delegation
The palace could issue individual invites to other American presidents like Donald and Melania Trump, who met the Queen in July 2018
Trump and Obama were both guests of The Queen for lavish, white-tie state dinners at Buckingham Palace.
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.
The Obamas were given a rare invitation to sleep at Buckingham Palace during their 2011 state visit to Britain.
Bush was the last president to host the Queen in America, when he held a hosted a state dinner for her in May 2007 at the White House.
And Biden was the last president to meet her, when he and Jill had tea with the monarch at Windsor Castle in June 2021.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday the invitation came from UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office on late Saturday night and Biden formally accepted it on Sunday morning.
‘The invitation was extended to the US government was for the President and the First Lady only,’ she told reporters on Air Force One as the president traveled to Boston.
She declined to say if any former presidents or famous Americans had been invited to the funeral for the 96-year-old monarch, who died Thursday at her Balmoral estate in Scotland.
‘As far as invites, I would refer you to the United United Kingdom, their government, on that protocol,’ she note.
It’s not unusual for former presidents to attend state funerals for world leaders.
Nelson Mandela’s funeral in 2013 had four presidents in attendance: then-President Obama, W. Bush, Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Bush rode on Air Force One with Obama to South Africa.
Biden had said Friday he planned on going to the Queen’s funeral even though details hadn’t been worked out.
‘I don’t know what the details are yet but I’ll be going,’ he said.
The White House announced this weekend the president and first lady will leave for the UK on Saturday.
The funeral takes place Monday at Westminister Abbey. King Charles III is expected to host world leaders for a reception at Buckingham Palace the night before the service.
Jean-Pierre said she didn’t know if Biden would meet with new British Prime Minister Liz Truss or any other officials during his trip, noting the details are still being worked out. She also said that Biden will attend the United Nations General Assembly, which starts on Monday, September 19, in New York – the same day as the Queen’s funeral.
It’s also unclear if Barack and Michelle Obama will attend: Above, the former first couple with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip during their 2011 visit to the UK
George W. Bush was the last president to host the Queen and Prince Philip in America, when he and Laura Bush held a hosted a state dinner for her in May 2007 at the White House
While in London, Biden will likely stay at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence, the traditional place for president’s to rest their weary heads. Winfield House is a 35-bedroom residence set in 12 acres in the middle of London.
But he may have to trade the president Beast for a bus to pay tribute to the late monarch.
The palace has asked world leaders not to use their own official cars for the funeral service but instead to be bussed in by coach from a site ini West London, Politico reported.
The news outlet cited information from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which also warned the world leaders to take commercial flights when possible and that they caannot use helicopters to travel around the UK.