周日,乔·拜登总统和第一夫人吉尔·拜登向女王伊丽莎白二世致敬在已故君主的国葬前,世界各国领导人齐聚伦敦。
女王的灵柩停放在威斯敏斯特大厅,拜登夫妇向女王致敬,总统用手捂住心口。他和第一夫人也分别在吊唁簿上签名。
两人还将出席查理三世国王在白金汉宫举行的招待会。
“这是一个巨大的损失,有时你会认为你永远不会,你永远不会克服它,”拜登告诉记者,重复了他经常对悲痛的亲属说的话。“但是,正如我告诉国王的,她会陪着他的每一步,每一分钟,每一刻和一个安心的想法。所以,所有的英格兰人和英国人,我们的心与你们同在,你们很幸运已经活了70多年。我们都是。这个世界对她来说更好。”
总统还说,伊丽莎白女王让他想起了他的母亲,并赞扬了她对服务的承诺。
“我认为她给出的是一种感觉,也许最重要的是服务的概念。我们都有所亏欠。我们有能力做一些事情,不仅让世界变得更好,也让你的邻居、你的家庭、你的工作场所变得更好,这就是她告诉我的,无论如何,很荣幸见到她,很荣幸见到她,”他说。
拜登夫妇周六启程前往英国,并将于周一参加女王的国葬。
此行正值英国政治变革之际,首相利兹·特拉斯刚刚上任。她和拜登总统将于周三在纽约举行首次双边会晤,届时两人都将出席联合国大会。
女王在担任国家元首70年后去世,享年96岁,创下了英国君主担任14届美国总统的纪录。白金汉宫于9月8日宣布,她在自己的苏格兰庄园巴尔莫勒尔堡“平静地去世”。
President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth ahead of funeral
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Sundaypaid their respects to Queen Elizabeth IIas world leaders gathered in London ahead of the late monarch's state funeral.
The Bidens gave tribute to the queen as her coffin lie in Westminster Hall, with the president putting his hand over his heart. He and the first lady are also signing separate condolence books.
The two are also attending King Charles III's reception at Buckingham Palace.
“It’s a loss that leaves a giant hole and sometimes you think you'll never, you’ll never overcome it,” Biden told the press, echoing a frequent refrain he tells grieving relatives. “But, as I’ve told the king, she’s gonna be with him every step of the way, every minute, every moment and a reassuring notion. So, it’s all the people of England and all the people of the United Kingdom, our hearts go out to you and you were fortunate to have had over 70 years. We all were. The world's better for her.”
The president also said Queen Elizabeth reminded him of his mother and praised her commitment to service.
"I think what she gave is 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, not just the world better but your neighborhood better, your household better, your workplace better and that's what she communicated to me, anyway, and it was an honor to meet her, an honor to meet her," he said.
The Bidens left for the United Kingdom on Saturday and will attend the state funeral for the queen on Monday.
The trip comes at a time of political change in the U.K., where Prime Minister Liz Truss just took office. She and President Biden will hold their first bilateral meeting in New York on Wednesday when both are there for the U.N. General Assembly.
The queen died at age 96 after serving as head of state for 70 years, a record tenure for a British monarch that spanned 14 U.S. presidencies. Buckingham Palace announced on Sept. 8 that she "died peacefully" at Balmoral Castle, her Scottish estate.