Former First Lady Melania Trump’s mother Amalija Knavs passed away on January 9 at age 78 after an undisclosed illness. Her casket arrived in a black Cadillac hearse Thursday morning.
The Trumps arrived at the church in a motorcade of black SUVs, with Secret Service and Palm Beach police accompanying the vehicles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, about 2.5 miles to the south.
Prior to the commencement of the private service for Knavs at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, a number of guests arrived, including Tiffany and Ivanka Trump, the children of Donald Trump from prior marriages; Jared Kushner, the husband of Ivanka Trump; and U.S. Senators Rick Scott of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, both Republicans.
Midmorning saw the arrival of a funeral, an SUV with the first lady and the previous president, and two more cars with Secret Service detail drew up in front of the church. Melania Trump and her father, Viktor Knavs, led a procession up to the church wearing black dresses and sunglasses. The former president and their son, Barron, followed.
They then waited on the steps of the church as the coffin was lifted from the hearse and taken into the church.
After the service, a priest waved an urn of incense and a man held up a cross as the coffin was carried out of the church, followed by Melania Trump and her father, and then Donald Trump and their son, Barron.
After the coffin was placed in the hearse, the former president and first lady exchanged pleasantries with the priest. Donald Trump led his wife to an SUV with her father, and then he got into a separate vehicle.
