FormerPresident George H.W. Bush is being honored with a state funeral — an official gathering that includes current and former presidents and world leaders to mark the life of the 41st President.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are at the service at Washington National Cathedral and sitting in the front row with former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. Their wives are sitting next to each of them.
Former presidents and first ladies
- Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama
- Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
- Former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter
Children of past presidents
- Chelsea Clinton
- Susan Ford Bales
- Tricia Nixon Cox and Edward Cox
- Luci Baines Johnson and Ian Turpin
- Lynda Johnson Robb and Charles Robb
World leaders
- King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan
- Australian Governor General Peter Cosgrove and Lynne Cosgrove
- Polish President Andrzej Duda
- Former Polish President Lech Walesa
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel
- Charles, Prince of Wales
- Former Mexican President Carlos Salinas
- Former UK Prime Minister John Major and Norma Major
- Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, prince of Bahrain and personal representative of the king of Bahrain
- Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda
- Former Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
- Former Portuguese President Anibal Vaco Silva
- Former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves
- Former Kuwaiti Prime Minister Nasser al-Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah
- Former Premier of Bermuda John Swan
Trump has proclaimed Wednesday a national day of mourning. Much of the government will treat it as a holiday in reverence to Bush, and his Washington memorial will take place midday before his return to Texas.
Government closed: Alongside his proclamation, Trump issued an executive order closing the federal government in honor of his passing. A memorandum from the Office of Personnel Management on Sunday outlined how federal agencies would implement the holiday. Likewise, US financial markets are due to close on Wednesday, with the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq suspending trading.
Capitol Rotunda: Bush's casket arrived in Washington on Monday from Texas. He was taken to the Capitol Rotunda where congressional leadership said he would lie in state from Monday through Wednesday, with the public invited to pay respects from Monday evening until Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. ET. A departure ceremony is then scheduled to take place at 10:00 a.m. ET, and a motorcade will then travel through northwest Washington to the National Cathedral.
National Cathedral: After departing the Capitol, the official schedule has Bush's remains arriving at Washington National Cathedral at 11:00 a.m. ET and departing by 12:30 p.m. According to the National Cathedral, the service will be invitation only. CNN previously reported eulogies at the service will come from his son, former President George W. Bush, as well as former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, former US Sen. Alan Simpson and presidential historian Jon Meacham, the late President's biographer. Sources told CNN Trump will not speak at the funeral.
Back to Texas: Another departure ceremony is due to take place at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 1:15 p.m. ET. Bush's casket will take the presidential plane dubbed "Special Mission 41" for the funeral process back to Texas. He will then be taken to St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, where he is scheduled to lie in repose from 6:45 p.m. Wednesday until 6:00 a.m. CT the following day. A second service is scheduled for Thursday, after which he will be taken via a train bearing his name to his final resting place at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library.
