Following a report that only two seats would be made available for U.S. dignitaries to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday, former Presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama and the three other living former presidents will be offered seats at a memorial service at Washington National Cathedral on Sept. 21.
The Episcopal church, which held funeral services for four other U.S. presidents, has also held memorial services for foreign leaders, namely Nelson Mandela in 2014 and for Sir Winston Churchill following his death in 1965.
The Event: The invitation-only event, which is being held by the British government in the U.S. Capitol, will see the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, preside over the service, according to the Daily Mail.
The memorial is referred to as "a Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II" and will showcase an honor guard by The Queen’s Color Squadron, which is a special unit of the Royal Air Force, according to the report.
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The Invitees: Along with Trump and Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter have been invited to the event, although it’s not known whether any plan to attend.
Jimmy Carter, who is 98 years old and reportedly in poor health, was unable to attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration last year.
Trump, who has been known to lash out when things don’t go his way, appeared to be vying for an invite to the official services taking place at Westminster Abbey following news of the queen’s death.
“Queen Elizabeth’s historic and remarkable reign left a tremendous legacy of peace and prosperity for Great Britain. Her leadership and enduring diplomacy secured and advanced alliances with the United States and countries around the world,” Trump said on Truth Social.
A senior Trump advisor appeared to insinuate to the Daily Beast that Biden should take Trump as his guest to the funeral instead of Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden.
“Biden should include Trump,” the advisor said after news broke that only two tickets for each head of state would be allotted.
Trump has been known to golf during important political events, such as when he left a G20 summit on the coronavirus to hit the back nine at the Trump National Golf Course in 2020.
When John McCain died in 2018, Trump was not invited to the funeral and subsequently lashed out at the deceased Republican senator on several occasions.
