President Joe Biden will reportedly be able to use his own armoured limousine for ground transportation to and from Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
According to The Times, Whitehall sources say Mr Biden has been granted special dispensation to make use of the US-built armoured Cadillac state car — informally known as “The Beast” — for security reasons.
The Times also reports that other G7 leaders, including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Emperor Naruhito of Japan, are expected to be permitted their own ground transport.
Not every foreign leader will be granted such privileges, however. Of the hundreds expected to attend the late Queen’s memorial service, the vast majority have been asked to utilise shared transportation to and from the Abbey, and to fly in on commercial aircraft to ease congestion at London’s airports.
Mr Biden will also be able to skip the full queues for a gate at Heathrow because the bespoke Boeing 747 used by US presidents — known in American military parlance as a VC-25A — will most likely land at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk.
Though it is nominally a Royal Air Force facility, it primarily supports US Air Force operations and is home to the 100th Air Refuelling Wing among other units.
According to the White House, Mr Biden will be accompanied at the funeral by First Lady Jill Biden but none of his living predecessors.
Asked whether Mr Biden had indeed recieved permission to use his own state car for the late Queen’s funeral, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday said she would not comment on matters relating to the president’s security arrangements and referred further questions back to the British government.
