US President Joe Biden has accepted an invitation to attend the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. The White House has confirmed that he will attend the Queen's funeral. He will be accompanied by the US First Lady. In a statement, the White House said, 'This (Sunday) morning, President Biden formally accepted an invitation to attend the state funeral service of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19.
The White House had previously announced that the US president would travel to New York on September 18 and attend the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 19 and 20. However, the White House did not announce when Biden would address the UN General Assembly. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday, September 8, ending her 70-year reign. Since then, her body has been in the ballroom of Balmoral Castle in Scotland. From there, the coffin carrying the queen's body began its journey on Sunday; it will arrive in London next Tuesday. After the coffin arrives in London, the queen will lie in state at Westminster Hall for about four days before her funeral.
The Queen's death will be followed by a period of royal mourning lasting seven days following the funeral, the date of which will be confirmed by the Royal Family in due course.