US President Joe Biden has touched down in London ahead of Queen Elizabeth's funeral.
President Joe Biden has landed at Stanstead ahead of Queen's funeral
The world leader and First Lady, Jill Biden, travelled from Washington D.C. on Air Force One to Stanstead Airport, arriving just after 10.30pm on Saturday night (17.09.22).
They are expected to meet King Charles on Sunday (18.09.22), and will be joined by 100 presidents and heads of government at the state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday (19.09.22).
Biden is said to be flanked by 400 officers for his stay in the British capital.
The Commander in Chief and British Prime Minister Liz Truss have cancelled a planned meeting ahead of the funeral, with the politicians now meeting at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday (21.09.22) instead.
Shortly after Her Majesty’s passing at Balmoral, Scotland, at the age of 96, Biden saluted the stability and constancy she brought to Britain and an uncertain world.
He also said he was ready to build on his relationship with the king.
He said: “In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her. An enduring admiration for Queen Elizabeth II united people across the Commonwealth.
“Queen Elizabeth II was a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States. She helped make our relationship special.”
Biden met the queen for the first time as a senator in 1982 and it’s understood he was told of her death during a meeting at the Oval Office.
Former US President Donald Trump was left off the guest list for the funeral in London but received an invite from the British government for the "Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II", according to The Telegraph newspaper.
The service will take place at Washington’s National Cathedral on Wednesday.
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