US president Joe Biden arrives in Washington after Queen's funeral

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are back at the White House Monday evening after traveling to London to attend the state funeral services for Queen Elizabeth II. Biden was among the hundreds of heads of state and political leaders from around the world who attended the funeral services. The president heads to the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

American presidents usually make a splash when they travel abroad, holding the spotlight and quickly becoming the centre of attention. Not this time. For U.S. President Joe Biden and other presidents, prime ministers and dignitaries, there were no red-carpet arrivals, no big speeches and no news conferences as they gathered for Monday’s state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II. Instead, world leaders used to people hanging on their every word and checked their egos in the service of honouring the queen, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, who died earlier this month at age 96 after 70 years on the throne.

“They know that they are there to honour the passing, honour the individual,” said Capricia Marshall, who was the U.S. State Department’s protocol chief for a period during Barack Obama’s administration. “They also are aware that they’re representing their country.” The protocol office is a key player in U.S. foreign policy and diplomatic affairs, working to make sure U.S. officials don’t say or do anything that will offend a foreign visitor or host.

The president and first lady were among some 2,000 people attending the funeral at Westminster Abbey. The couple arrived for the funeral, waiting in the back as a procession moved past, before taking their seats among hundreds of others. They arrived in London late Saturday and paid respects to the queen on Sunday, viewing her coffin at Westminster Hall, signing condolence books at Lancaster House and attending a Buckingham Palace reception for funeral guests hosted by King Charles III.