LONDON – Pass on the armed limousine. The presidential helicopter should stay at home.The British government has warned President Joe Biden and other dignitaries attending Queen Elizabeth II's royal funeral not to take private transportation to London next week and informed them that they will be escorted to the service in buses.Presidents, monarchs, and other heads of state are urged to fly commercially to London and wait for a ride to Westminster Abbey, where the solemn event will be performed on September 19, according to official preparation materials obtained by Politico.
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On a bus, Biden? Former American officials who were involved in the security and planning for the presidency indicated that wouldn't happen.
Anita McBride, who served as President George W. Bush's assistant and First Lady Laura Bush's chief of staff, remarked, "I can't see any conditions where the USSS (Secret Service) would consent to any of that."
The Secret Service refuses to provide any additional information regarding the president's travel plans or the security precautions that will be taken during his trip.
Unverified rumors claimed that while other global leaders would have to ride the bus, Biden would receive a special exemption and be permitted to ride in the presidential limousine to the funeral.
Who will go? Will former presidents Trump and Obama attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II? No chance.
Whether traveling locally or internationally, Biden often flies in on Air Force One. The president usually takes Marine One, the presidential helicopter, or the long, black, heavily-armored limousine known as the Beast if additional transportation is required when the presidential jet lands or if the situation forbids him from using the plane.
In contrast to the majority of other international leaders, who arrived at the commemoration in buses, former President Donald Trump arrived at the event in his armored truck in Paris in 2018 to mark the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. According to Trump's spokeswoman at the time, he arrived separately "due to security considerations".
within the UK. Senior members of the royal family are frequently bused into congested areas for significant events, according to Dai Davies, who was in charge of looking after the queen and royal family from 1995 to 1998.
However, Davies said that "I'm not convinced Biden and other global leaders would agree to do that." "To begin with, I don't believe we even have any armored buses," she said.
About 500 international dignitaries are anticipated to attend the queen's burial, according to the British Foreign Office, which declined to provide further information about the security plans for the service. Jill Biden, the first lady, and Vice President Biden have both confirmed that they will go.
Military installations in the UK are accessible to the U.S. where Air Force One might arrive, according to McBride. She stated that after that, Biden may go in a helicopter to Winfield House, the townhouse in the heart of London that serves as the ambassador of the United States to the United Kingdom. She advised him to travel to the burial in the presidential limousine from there.
The safety of the American president is obviously a major worry, but honestly, McBride added, "this may be a case where we have to defer to the Brits and attempt to alleviate the security concerns."
Queen Elizabeth's encounters with presidents didn't always go as planned because of "used beans" and "The Talking Hat"
The president ultimately determines what he will and won't do, according to Joe Lockhart, who held the position of White House press secretary under Bill Clinton.
According to Lockhart, "The Secret Service may offer a very strong recommendation." The Secret Service will advise the president, "You know, you can do it, but we can't guarantee your safety. 99.9% of the time, the president will submit to the Secret Service's recommendations. Every once in a while, they don't."
According to Lockhart, when King Hassan II of Morocco passed away, Clinton made the decision to follow other international leaders and mourners behind the casket. It was a bit of a stressful situation, but they managed to secure it, he added, adding that the service was not pleased at all.Senior officials in the British foreign office, working with the police and security agencies, would decide what protection is practical, affordable, and most critically, what can be "sold" to the protection teams of the many heads of state who will be attending, according to Davies.
According to security expert Robert Broadhurst, the decision to make exceptions for the security arrangements for some world leaders, such as Biden during the queen's funeral, would be made by Britain's home secretary, which is comparable to the U.S. interior secretary, MI5, the U.K.'s domestic intelligence agency, along with London's police commissioner.
"With Biden, there is that particular bond, and maybe the president of the United States bears more risk than others," said Broadhurst, who oversaw general policing for the 2022 Summer Olympics in London and was in charge of security for William and Kate's royal wedding in 2011.
Most world leaders would not anticipate using a bus system to convey foreign dignitaries to a significant event or ceremony, but it was employed for the Olympics and the royal wedding, according to Broadhurst. The VIPs boarded the buses from a "safe spot" after they had been escorted to a "advance site" and thoroughly checked for bombs and other threats.
"You're effectively transferring your dignitaries from one clean location to another," he added. "You need less people to protect them on those vehicles." The final site would likewise be examined.
King Charles III ascends to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II dies at the age of 96.
According to Broadhurst, the "American model" for regulating public gatherings is not used in the U.K.
He explained that both the queen and the current monarch ride in open carriages and have never been armored. Less than three or four yards separate them from the people that are gathered along the streets.
Despite at least three attempts on the queen's life—including shootings in London and New Zealand and a plot to derailed an Australian train she was riding—this security strategy remained the same.
The American attitude to security, according to Broadhurst, is risk-averse.
It's not appropriate for a ceremony; it's meant for the principals, not the general audience, he declared. To prevent the people from seeing what is happening, the U.S. blocks highways, creates sterile zones, and keeps them at a distance. … The queen was never one to choose to be kept apart from the general population by armored cars or fences. She want attention. She was aware of the risks and knew it was the responsibility of the police and others to reduce them.
Ultimately, he claimed, the security for the queen's funeral will depend on how many people can safely fit into Westminster Abbey, which spans 32,000 square feet and serves as the final resting place for a number of British monarchs and prime ministers.
The utilization of buses is merely a logistical exercise, according to Broadhurst, who added that there aren't enough armed officers or close protection personnel prepared to handle this duty. Therefore, we must approach it differently.
If I were in control, I would definitely make an exception for Biden, according to Davies, given the history of assassinations or attempted assassinations of U.S. presidents. To come up with a reasonable solution, compromise is going to be necessary.
"You just can't afford for anything to happen to the American president on our soil. He is undoubtedly the most important man in the world in terms of security. Other leaders may well have to understand there is a pecking order and the president of Luxembourg is just not as significant as the president of the United States, Davies continued
A president's safety will never be delegated to a third party, according to Steven Groves, a former chief of staff for the United States ambassador to the UN and a deputy press secretary in the Trump administration. Groves also predicted that the US and UK will reach an agreement regarding Biden's transportation.
Foreign nations are particularly interested in presidential visits as part of diplomacy. They're quite understanding that the president will be traveling under their own security blanket, so they comply. "They want the president of the United States and the prestige of the head of state visit from the United States," he said.
Because the president will always be a target, he continued, "It's just the way the president has traveled for some time."
Another thing to think about, according to McBride, is that other foreign leaders would not be happy to ride on the same bus as Biden due to the dangers involved.
"Will other leaders board a van or bus carrying the biggest objective of all?
This is definitely complicated, " she said.
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