Prince Edward is representing the royal family at the funeral of U.S. President Jimmy Carter in Washington, D.C.
On Jan. 9, the Duke of Edinburgh, 60, stepped out in the U.S. capital city to pay respects to the nation’s 39th president, who died on Dec. 29 at 100 years old. Prince Edward sat beside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, a Commonwealth country and crown realm, for the solemn service.
Fan footage shared to X showed that the Duke had also paid respects as the late president’s casket lay in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda.
Carter’s service is taking place at D.C.’s Washington National Cathedral, the culmination of a six-day state funeral that began on Jan. 4 as a motorcade made its way through Carter’s hometown of Plains, Georgia.
He laid in repose in Atlanta at the Carter Presidential Center until Jan. 7, when he was flown to D.C. to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol before his funeral on Thursday. All five living presidents — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden — were in attendance.
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After the funeral, Carter will then be buried next to his wife, Rosalynn Carter, during a private service in Plains.
Prince Edward’s wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, didn’t accompany her husband for the trip, which was made on behalf of King Charles, Edward’s older brother.
On Dec. 29, the King, 76, paid tribute to Carter, who was both the longest-living U.S. president and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
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“It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of President Carter,” King Charles wrote Dec. 29. “He was a committed public servant, and devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights. His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with President Carter’s family and the American people at this time,” the King added. The message concluded with “Charles R.,” indicating that the message came from the monarch himself.
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King Charles and Jimmy Carter met only once — at the G7 Summit in London in 1977, early in Carter’s presidency. When Carter turned 100 years old on Oct. 1, PEOPLE understands that the King “expressed warm personal greetings and great admiration” for Carter’s lifetime of duty and public service, according to a spokesperson for the monarch.
In a private message, the King congratulated Carter on becoming the first former president to become a centenarian.
