Joe Biden arrives for the queen’s funeral, Truss meeting postponed

• U.S. President Joe Biden arrives in London for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
• He and UK Prime Minister Liz Truss were supposed to meet but now will wait until after the funeral.
• 500 or so world leaders are attending the queen’s funeral on Monday.

U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in London late Saturday to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who died earlier this month at the age of 96.

Biden and UK Prime Minister Liz Truss were supposed to meet, but it won’t happen until after the queen’s funeral on Monday. The meeting was supposed to happen before the funeral, but now it will happen on Wednesday.

Biden is one of the 500 or so world leaders who are going to London for the funeral. Some of the other guests are Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau of Canada, Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, Anthony Albanese of Australia, and Emmanuel Macron of France.

According to a reputed media agency,  the invite list includes controversial figures such as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed Bin Salman and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi will not attend the funeral, but Vice President Wang Qishan will travel to the United Kingdom.

Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela, and Afghanistan have not been invited. Iran, North Korea, and Nicaragua were all invited to send ambassadors rather than heads of state.

At the queen’s lying-in-state in Westminster Hall, guests are expected to pay their respects and sign a book of condolences at Lancaster House. And before the funeral, world leaders will get together on Sunday at Buckingham Palace for a formal state reception hosted by King Charles III.

When Biden and Truss finally get together, it will be the first time since the prime minister took over. When Truss was foreign secretary, they met before.

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