Jill And Joe Biden Ran Into Some Issues On Their Way To The Queen's Funeral
When the heartbreaking death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced, leaders from all around the world immediately sent their condolences to the royal family, including U.S. President Joe Biden, who called Elizabeth "more than a monarch. She defined an era." He added, "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."
The president — as well as First Lady Dr. Jill Biden — were invited to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral, where 2,000 mourners filled Westminster Abbey to pay their respects. With people coming in from around the globe, attendees were asked to arrive in the U.K. on commercial flights and were not allowed to use helicopters to travel around London, per Politico. In addition, many of them were not able to use their own cars. Instead, world leaders were bussed to the church from a central location.
However, due to concerns about their personal safety, the Bidens were permitted to take the president's armored state car — known as "The Beast — to and from the funeral services, per The Times of London. The car boasts tires designed to keep it moving even if hit by gunfire, as well as bulletproof windows, night-vision capabilities, and the ability to dispense smoke screens and oil slicks to ward off attackers, per the Independent.
One thing The Beast isn't equipped to handle, however, is the traffic in London.
The Bidens got stuck in traffic on the way to Queen Elizabeth's funeral
President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden ran into a common problem on their way to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral: London traffic. As the couple made their way to Westminster Abbey, their armored limousine — called "The Beast" — got stuck in a traffic jam outside a Pret a Manger, per the Evening Standard. A member of the Met Police Special Escort Group then sped past the president's car to clear the traffic.
The Bidens made it to Westminster Abbey on time, and were seated in the 14th row (per the BBC). They were seated behind Polish president Andrzej Duda and his wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, according to The Telegraph. While the current president and first lady were the only two U.S. politicians to receive an invite to the queen's funeral, the other remaining living U.S. presidents — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump — were invited to a Service of Thanksgiving in honor of Queen Elizabeth, which will be co-hosted by the British Embassy at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., per Fox News.