The body of former US president Jimmy Carter, who passed away on December 29 at the age of 100, arrived at the US Capitol on Tuesday in a solemn military procession. Carter, widely respected for his post-presidential humanitarian work and recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, will lie in state until a national funeral on Thursday.
The procession began in Georgia, Carter’s home state before his flag-draped casket was flown to Washington aboard a presidential jet. From the US Navy Memorial, his casket travelled along Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol, retracing the route of his 1977 inauguration parade.
Hundreds of service members accompanied the procession, and military pallbearers carried the casket into the Capitol Rotunda, where dignitaries, including Vice President Kamala Harris, gathered for a service.
Carter’s state funeral, to be held at the National Cathedral, will feature a eulogy by President Joe Biden. All four living former US presidents are expected to attend. Flags will remain at half-staff for 30 days in honour of Carter, who will be laid to rest in Plains, Georgia, next to his wife, Rosalynn.
