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Trump Invited to Special Cathedral Service for Queen in Washington

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Former President Donald Trump has received some good news regarding the late Queen Elizabeth II, with whom he reportedly had a very good relationship.

Trump, along with the other living U.S. presidents, will be invited to a special service for the Queen in Washington, D.C. at the National Cathedral, according to a Thursday report.

Citing the Times of London, Breitbart News reports:

President Trump has not been invited to the Queen’s state funeral in Westminster Abbey and nor have Barack Obama, George Bush, Bill Clinton, or Jimmy Carter, such is the demand among the sitting political leaders, but the living former presidents will all be invited to an invitation-only service at the “spiritual home” of Anglicanism in America organized in partnership with the British Embassy…

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“Queen Elizabeth was more than a monarch. Through 70 years of service to her God and to her people, Queen Elizabeth embodied an unrivaled sense of duty, devotion and fidelity. Across seven decades of tumultuous change, she was a model of stability, and carried her nation in her heart with grace and dignity. We mourn the passage of all that she represents; she was an icon of [honour], duty and service,” the cathedral said in a statement the British paper quoted.

“Across her remarkable life, Queen Elizabeth visited this cathedral four times, and we cherish our connections to our brothers and sisters who now mourn her passing throughout her beloved Anglican Communion. Our hearts are linked across the oceans with the people of the United Kingdom, and our prayers are with her son, Charles, as he assumes the weighty responsibilities of the throne,” the statement added.

Trump, whose mother, Mary MacLeod, was Scottish, was a great admirer of the Queen and was saddened by her passing at age 96 last week.

“The whole of civilization is in mourning. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the enlightened monarch who reigned over the United Kingdom for 70 years, is a loss felt by billions around the world,” he said.

“This week, and in the weeks ahead, we especially grieve for the royal family — we can only imagine their sorrow.

“And we express our solidarity with all the people of the United Kingdom and every realm of the Commonwealth she so loved,” the former president said.

He said that “spending time with Her Majesty was one of the most extraordinary honors of my life,” and that she was revered in his house as a kid, “especially by my mother, who came from Scotland.”

“The times we spent with the Queen at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle are memories Melania and I will cherish for the rest of our lives. Her Majesty had a sharp mind, missed nothing, and always knew exactly what to say. At our unforgettable State Dinner three years ago, we got along wonderfully, talking the whole evening,” he added.

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That same week, on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, we sat side-by-side to honor the sacrifice of the British and American warriors who fought and bled together in the Second World War. I will forever be grateful for the privilege of getting to know this unparalleled leader,” Trump noted further.

The former president added that the late Queen, who was succeeded by her son, King Charles III, was “the United Kingdom’s greatest emissary,” and “nowhere was this truer than in the United States.”

“The treasured friendship and precious bond between America and the United Kingdom, which we call the Special Relationship, meant that Her Majesty the Queen was truly special to us as well,” the former president said. “She was respected and beloved by the American People like few other figures in modern times. Above all, the Queen was great because Britain is great.”

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Trump shared more memories of the Queen with noted ‘Brexit’ campaigner Nigel Farage following her passing.

“My mother came from Stornoway, and she loved anything to do with the Queen. She would watch if they had a ceremony, even the smallest of ceremonies, when the Queen was on my mother would be there watching. She was a tremendous fan,” Trump said.

“This is a very, very sad day… earth-shaking, actually, and beyond your country — and it’s for good reason; she was a great woman, a great Queen, and somebody that will be very, very sadly missed,” he noted further.

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