Was Sleepy Joe late for the Queen’s funeral?

Steerpike was awed by the Queen’s funeral yesterday. Flowers lined the streets of London and Windsor, foreign dignitaries flew in from all over the world and bearskins marched alongside the coffin in perfect harmony. But there was one thing that didn’t seem to go to plan, thanks to President Biden.

Apparently, Sleepy Joe and his wife Jill were late, messing up the perfectly planned order of entrance to Westminster Abbey. The Guardian reported that the first couple had to be gently told to stand and wait as a procession of soldiers went ahead of them.

The word is that there had to be a period of small talk at the entrance before it was decided that those given the highest decorations of military valour would go ahead of the president. If there was one day to make sure the alarm was set, then it was probably yesterday...

There may be another reason for Biden’s gaffe, as the president had been given a special exemption to ride to the abbey in the ‘the Beast’, the heavily armoured presidential limousine. Other heads of state and government officials were taken in a bus, as requested by the government. They were also urged to travel by commercial flights.

Mr S has to admit that enjoyed the images shared on social media showing the Bidens in central London traffic, and even being forced to stop outside a Pret-a-Manger on Oxford Street.

President Biden discovering an inescapable fact about London traffic.

Everyone, always, has to get stuck outside Pret-a-Manger. pic.twitter.com/RgEOn4rgWY

— Raf Epstein (@Raf_Epstein) September 19, 2022

Scenes inside the abbey were no less bizarre as Biden was filmed playing with his tongue.

Why is Biden playing with his tongue…at the ceremony for the late Queen Elizabeth II pic.twitter.com/m6XIEFt7AI

— Patricia C. (@PatriciaSea) September 19, 2022

Biden’s tardiness was soon spotted by eagle-eyed viewers, with one tweeter wondering if Biden would stay awake during the funeral.

Mr S did wonder why Biden was seated 14 rows back. He was behind Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland, and in front of Petr Fiala, the prime minister of the Czech Republic. Punctuality pays – even if you're the POTUS...