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What to know about Jimmy Carter’s funeral

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Carter will be buried alongside his wife in his hometown of Plains, Georgia

There will be multiple days of ceremonies and services in Washington DC to mourn the passing of US President Jimmy Carter, who died at age 100.

The former president will be honoured at a state funeral on 9 January before he is buried in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, alongside his wife, Rosalynn, who died last year at age 96.

Carter passed away on Sunday, two years after entering into hospice care.

Here’s what to know about the upcoming service.

Where is the funeral?

Carter – who served as president from 1977 to 1981 – will be commemorated at a state funeral in Washington DC on 9 January.

The former president’s family accepted an invitation on Monday for Carter to lie in state at the US Capitol Rotunda, with a service to be held at Washington National Cathedral.

Carter’s remains will be at the Capitol beginning on the afternoon of 7 January, and they will be kept there until the morning of 9 January. The building will be open to the public during “designated times” for those who wish to pay their respects.

The US federal government will be closed on 9 January for a national day of mourning “as a mark of respect for James Earl Carter, Jr”, President Joe Biden said in an executive order.

Will there be other ceremonies?

The state funeral will not be the only service for the 39th president.

On 4 January, a motorcade will drive through Carter’s small hometown of Plains, Georgia, and stop by his childhood home before proceeding to Atlanta for a public service at the Carter Presidential Center.

Carter’s remains will be at the presidential library on 5 January and 6 January.

After both the Georgia and Washington DC services, the former president will be laid to rest for a final time in Plains in a private ceremony.

Who will attend the state funeral?

Biden will be delivering the eulogy at Carter’s Washington DC funeral, after the 39th president asked him to in March 2023, according to Biden.

Former presidents and first ladies typically attend funerals of their predecessors, so First Lady Jill Biden and others like former President Barack Obama could be in attendance. Hillary and Bill Clinton are also expected to attend.

President-elect Donald Trump’s plans are unclear. He did not attend Rosalynn Carter’s funeral last year, but his wife Melania did, along with other former first ladies.

Trump did, however, attend the Washington service for George HW Bush, the last former president to die, in 2018.

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