PresidentJoe Bidensays he will attend the funeral forQueen Elizabeth II, whodied Thursdayat the age of 96.
When asked if he had spoken toKing Charles IIIsince the news broke, Biden replied: “I know him. I haven’t spoken to him. I did not call him.”
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While it’s unknown exactly when the Queen’s funeral will commence, it’s likely to occur about 10 days from now. Services for Queen Elizabeth’s husband,Prince Philip, were heldeight days after his deathback in April 2021 at 99 years old.
In an official statement on Thursday,Buckingham Palace announcedthatQueen Elizabeth"died peacefully" while atBalmoral Castlein Scotland.
After the news of the Queen’s death, Biden canceled a scheduled speech meant to highlight the arrival of updated COVID-19 vaccines planned for his afternoon at the White House, according to the White House press office.
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President Joe Biden and Queen Elizabeth.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
In a statement, Biden said the Queen “defined an era.”
“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,” he wrote.
Biden noted elsewhere in his statement that he first metQueen Elizabethin 1982, while traveling to the U.K. as part of a Senate delegation.
They met again in June 2021, when Biden and his wife, Dr.Jill Biden, took their first overseas trip as president and first lady, “where she charmed us with her wit, moved us with her kindness, and generously shared with us her wisdom.”
“All told, she met 14 American presidents,” Biden continued in his statement. “She helped Americans commemorate both the anniversary of the founding of Jamestown and the bicentennial of our independence. And 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.'”
The president also issued a special proclamation Thursday, ordering U.S. flags at federal buildings to fly at half-staff.
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Under Biden’s order, the U.S. flag will also fly at half-staff until sunset “at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.”
source: people.com
