Joe and Jill Biden Will Be Only Official U.S. Delegates at Queen Elizabeth II's Funeral: Report

Amethyst Tate
·2 min read
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Joe and Jill biden
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KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/AFP via Getty From left: Joe and Jill Biden

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be only U.S. delegates in attendance next Monday at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, according to new reports.

On Monday, CBS News' senior White House & political correspondent Ed O'Keefe wrote on Twitter, "NEW: @POTUS Biden and @FLOTUS Biden will be the only Americans in the official U.S. delegation to the funeral for #QueenElizabethII, a senior White House official tells me." O'Keefe added, "'There will be no delegation because we have only two seats for the funeral,' the senior official says."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre clarified during a press gaggle on Monday that while she can't speak to the funeral's full guest list, the invitation given to the White House was only for the president and first lady.

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In the past, former U.S. presidents have also been in attendance for significant historical events such as this, leading some to wonder why the White House wasn't provided with an open invitation to corral other U.S. figureheads.

RELATED: What to Expect in the Days Leading Up to Queen Elizabeth's Funeral

The Bidens will travel to the U.K. on Saturday, and there is expected to be a formal welcoming reception Sunday hosted by King Charles III and the royal family for dignitaries, per CBS News.

Joe Biden speaks about COVID-19, known as the Coronavirus, during a press event in Wilmington, Delaware on March 12, 2020, Queen Elizabeth II speaks with staff during a visit to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) at Porton Down science park on October 15, 2020 near Salisbury, England.
Joe Biden speaks about COVID-19, known as the Coronavirus, during a press event in Wilmington, Delaware on March 12, 2020, Queen Elizabeth II speaks with staff during a visit to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) at Porton Down science park on October 15, 2020 near Salisbury, England.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty; Ben Stansall - WPA Pool/Getty

The Queen's state funeral will be held on Monday, Sept. 19.

On Thursday, the president and first lady went to the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., to pay tribute to the Queen and sign her condolence book.

"We mourn for all of you," Biden said at the embassy. "She was a great lady. I'm so delighted I got to meet her."

RELATED: President Joe Biden Will Travel to U.K. to Attend Queen Elizabeth II's Funeral

In an official statement on Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth "died peacefully" while at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

On Sunday, the coffin bearing the Queen began a nine-day farewell journey to her final resting place in Windsor, where she will be buried alongside her parents and her husband, Prince Philip.

Members of the public gather to watch the procession of Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral, on the Royal Mile on September 12, 2022, where Queen Elizabeth II will lie at rest. - Mourners will on Monday get the first opportunity to pay respects before the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, as it lies in an Edinburgh cathedral where King Charles III will preside over a vigil. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty

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On Monday, the Queen's coffin is expected to pass along Edinburgh's Royal Mile to St Giles' Cathedral.

In London, King Charles will likely hear both Houses of Parliament express their condolences. He and Queen Consort Camilla are then scheduled to depart for a tour of the four nations of the United Kingdom.