An emotional George W Bush has paid tribute to his father, former President George HW Bush, during a state funeral in Washington.
Mr Bush Jr, himself a former president, described him as “a noble man, the best father”.
All surviving US presidents attended the funeral, sharing a pew in the US National Cathedral in Washington DC.
Mr Bush senior, who served as the 41st US president between 1989 and 1993, died on Friday at the age of 94.
After the service, George H.W.’s casket was taken back to Joint Base Andrews and was boarded onto Air Force One to be returned to Texas.
After a second public viewing in Houston, Texans will say their farewells at an Episcopal church service before Bush’s flag-draped coffin is hoisted aboard a specialized Union Pacific train car for a 2-1/2 hour trip to the university town of College Station.
That’s the home of Texas A&M University, the site of Bush’s presidential library.
It is also the final resting place of his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush, who died eight months before him – and of Robin Bush, their daughter who died of leukemia before her fourth birthday.
World leaders and dignitaries are paying their respects to the 41st US President in a memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral, beginning at 4pm GMT (11am EST). Mr Bush Snr died at the age of 94 on Friday at his home in Houston, Texas. His coffin, draped in an American flag, was carried up steps into the cathedral moments before the ceremony’s start in front of hundreds of bystanders. All surviving former US presidents and their spouses are among those paying their respects, along with current US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump.
