George’s tears and pride as he pays
A TEARFUL George W Bush yesterday led the tributes to George HW Bush, saying he was the “best father a son could have”.
Mr Bush Snr, the 41st US president, was given a state funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington after his death last Friday aged 94.
His son George, the 43rd president, described him as “the brightest of the thousand points of light”.
In a deeply moving eulogy, he said that his father “showed me what it means to be a president who serves with integrity and acts with love in his heart”.
He welled up as he said his father was in heaven hugging Robin, his daughter who died of leukaemia aged three, and holding the hand of his wife Barbara, who died in April.
George W added: “The horizons he saw were bright and hopeful. He was a genuinely optimistic man and that optimism guided his children and made each of us believe that anything was possible.”
The funeral was attended by the current President Donald Trump and every living former president, dating back to Jimmy Carter.
Barack Obama and wife Michelle shook hands with Mr Trump and First Lady Melania Trump as they arrived, their first direct interaction since Mr Trump’s inauguration in January last year.
Bill and Hillary Clinton sat nearby, though Mrs Clinton, who lost to Mr Trump in the 2016 election, reportedly gave no sign of acknowledging the President. The state funeral was George W Bush bursts into tears yesterday after speaking at the funeral of his father and fellow former president
the culmination of a day of pageantry which began when the body was taken from the US Capitol, where it had been lying in state.
Mr Bush was given a 21-gun salute and an Honour Guard, which carried the flag-draped casket to a waiting presidential hearse as a military band played.
Mr Bush’s children and their partners stood solemnly paying tribute on the Capitol’s East Front as the casket began its journey down Pennsylvania Avenue.
The motorcade went past the
White House and continued to the National Cathedral, bringing Washington to a standstill as the public paid its respects.
Bishop Michael Curry, who spoke at the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, read a prayer as the casket arrived at the cathedral door.
The British Government was represented by Prince Charles and also present was German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
During the 90-minute service, there were readings from some of
Mr Bush’s 14 grandchildren. After the funeral, the body was taken to nearby Joint Base Andrews, where it was due to be flown back to Houston for additional services.
Today, it will be taken by train to College Station, Texas, where he will be buried by his library next to Barbara and
Robin.