Joe and Jill Biden arrive in London to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II

A raspy President Joe Biden gave short remarks honoring Queen Elizabeth II, whom he claimed had a certain ‘look’ that gave ‘dignity’ to everyone and reminded him of his mother.

The U.S. president, with first lady Jill Biden at his side, said the world was ‘fortunate’ to have Queen Elizabeth reigning for 70 years and claimed the ‘world is better for her.’

The short remarks came as he signed the book of condolence for the Queen.

A somber Joe and Jill Biden arrived at Westminster Hall on Sunday to join other world leaders mourning the Queen’s death as the late monarch’s coffin lay in state over the weekend.

The Bidens stood from a balcony, wearing all black, as they paid their respects to the Queen. At the same time, mourners stood in line to walk by the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as she lay in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall.

The president was seen arriving at the scene from the window of his presidential vehicle The Beast as he waved to bystanders outside Westminster Palace. 

Following the ceremony on Sunday, the president and first lady signed the Official Condolence Book at Lancaster House.

Later they will then attend a closed-press reception hosted by the new monarch, Queen Elizabeth’s son King Charles III, at Buckingham Palace.

The first couple will also attend the State Funeral for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on Monday as the world watches mourners gather in England to bid a final farewell to the beloved monarch.

The arrival of the U.S. president and first lady comes after a slew of foreign royals also traveled to London to pay their respects to the Queen. 

The Queen died September 8, 2022 – just two days after meeting with the new Prime Minister Liz Truss – and after 70 years on the throne. 

‘To all the people of the United Kingdom, our hearts go out to you,’ Biden said while speaking to press gathered for the signing of the condolence book on Sunday.

‘I think what she gave was a sense of maybe, above all, the notion of service. We all owe something. There’s something within our capacity to do that can make things [better],’ the president added.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain , and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, were among the first monarchs to view their fellow monarch lying-in-state at Westminster Hall. 

Hundreds of emperors, kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and other foreign dignitaries are descending on London for Her Majesty’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey tomorrow.

Tonight, many of the leaders, including members of foreign royal families, will come together for a Buckingham Palace reception hosted by King Charles III which is being described as the ‘reception of the century’.

Representatives of more than 20 Royal Families are expected at the funeral, including the reigning monarchs of the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.

Among the most anticipated attendees is the Emperor of Japan, who rarely makes overseas visits. King Jigme & Queen Jetsun of Bhutan and the Sultan of Brunei will also attend.

On Sunday evening, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain were spotted waving to well-wishers as they left the Spanish Embassy for Westminster Hall.

Felipe, son of disgraced former King Juan Carlos, is a distant cousin of the Queen and referred to Her Majesty as ‘dear Aunt Lilibet’ in a personal tribute following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.

The king looked sombre in a black suit and tie as he and his stylish wife left the embassy for the Palace of Westminster.

The couple crossed themselves and bowed their heads as they filed past Her Majesty’s coffins. Visiting dignitaries have access to a VIP entrance and platform that means they can avoid the queue snaking through central London.

At around the same time, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden also filed into the hall to pay their respects.

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla are preparing to host 1,000 VIPs including US President Joe Biden, New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau, at Buckingham Palace this evening.

The list of dignitaries includes President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed and Colombia’s First Lady Veronica Alcocer Gargia and Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva.

However, it also includes a string of controversial strongmen, including Bolsonaro, who was filmed today giving a thunderous speech from the windows of the Brazilian Embassy in London to a cheering crowd waving the national flag.

His allies hope his four-day international trip – first in London, then at the UN Assembly General session in New York – will sway some voters in the upcoming elections, give him some gravitas after almost four years of rifts with other world leaders and provide material for TV ads. 

And today the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia confirmed that Mohammed Bin Salman, known by the abbreviation MBS, had been invited to attend the funeral.

He was set to hold talks with British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Sunday evening, despite international outrage after ordering Saudi agents to brutally murder and dismember Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018.

And Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the authoritarian ruler who has jailed hundreds of journalists and busily dismantled Turkish democracy, is also coming to the funeral.

China has announced it will send its vice-president, Wang Qishan, but was barred by parliamentary leaders from the lying-in-state.

Due to strained ties, the UK opted to invite ambassadors, not heads of state, from Iran, Nicaragua and North Korea. Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus are among a small group of nations excluded altogether following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.