President Joe Biden confirmed Friday that he will attend the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away Thursday.
A reporter asked the president about his plans to attend the funeral shortly after Biden returned from a trip to a semiconductor facility in Ohio.
“Yes. I don’t know what the details are yet, but I will be going,” Biden confirmed.
A separate reporter then asked if Biden had communicated with King Charles III, the queen’s son and successor, about his plan to attend the funeral. The president said he had not yet spoken with the new king. (RELATED: ‘Elizabeth The Great’: Boris Johnson Delivers Moving Speech Honoring The Late Queen)
Queen Elizabeth II, 96, passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after being placed on bedrest and medical supervision by royal medical staff early Thursday. She ruled over the United Kingdom and her other Commonwealth realms for more than 70 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
The president ordered flags on federal property be flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of the queen’s burial. He and first lady Jill Biden honored the queen in a Thursday statement commemorating her “commitment to duty, and the incomparable power of her example.”
“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 statement read.
Great Britain is currently in a state of solemn ceremony for at least 10 days, NBC News reported.
The queen’s coffin will next be moved to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, her residence in Edinburg, Scotland, where the king will give a speech before judges, politicians, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and a military guard of honor, the outlet reported. A 21-gun salute will be held Sunday in Holyrood with the king and Queen Camilla, his wife and queen consort, in attendance.
Preparations are also underway to transport the coffin to London, CNN reported. Historically, the monarch’s body has lain in state at Westminster Hall.