Joe Biden to attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral

Washington: US President Joe Biden has said that he would attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. She was 96.

The date of her funeral has not been confirmed, but it is expected to take place on September 19 in Westminster Abbey, the same church where the Queen was crowned in 1953. "Yes. I do not know what the details are yet, but I will be going," Biden told reporters at the Columbus International Airport in Ohio on Friday. He was responding to a question of whether he will be going to the Queen's funeral. In response to another question, the president said he has not spoken to King Charles III yet.

"I know him. I have not spoken to him yet," he added. On Thursday, Biden in his tribute to the Queen spoke fondly of their first meeting in 1982 and more recently when she hosted him during an overseas trip in 2021. "She charmed us with her wit, moved us with her kindness, and generously shared with us her wisdom. She stood in solidarity with the United States during our darkest days after 9/11, when she poignantly reminded us that, 'Grief is the price we pay for love'," he said.

The Queen's funeral is expected to attract presidents, prime ministers, kings, and queens as well as huge crowds from home and abroad. In Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Queen Elizabeth II was a powerful, unifying force, and a source of comfort and resilience to millions of people from all walks of life. "On behalf of the United States, I extend our deepest condolences to our British friends, the government of the United Kingdom and the royal family," he said.