If Donald Trump thought that his adulatory condolences published on his Truth Social platform after Queen Elizabeth’s death would secure him an invite to her funeral, he will be disappointed.
Trump, who is believed to have been angling for an invite, did not receive an invitation to attend the queen’s funeral on Monday next week in London.
In a departure from tradition, former US presidents will not be invited to attend the funeral. Instead, the honor will be extended only to current heads of state, and their spouses or partners, The Daily Beast reported.
“Questions have been asked in the US over whether Donald Trump will be invited but British sources have scotched the idea that he could accompany the US delegation and said there would not be space for Biden’s predecessors,” the news outlet wrote.
CBS News reported Monday that President Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden would be the only official representatives of the U.S. at the funeral. “There will be no delegation because we have only two seats for the funeral,” a senior official told CBS’ senior White House and political correspondent Ed O’Keefe.
Trump has frequently boasted of his relationship with the queen saying that they, “got along fantastically well,” when they met when he was president, and that a scheduled 15-minute meeting organically extended to an hour due to the quality of their personal interaction.
Ahead of Trump being snubbed, some hoped President Biden’s delegation would invite Trump. But that will not happen. The White House announced Sunday that Biden had formally accepted the invitation and would be accompanied by the first lady.