Melania Trump speaks at mother’s funeral: ‘A true beacon of love’ | US News

Former First Lady Melania Trump delivered a heartfelt eulogy at her mother Amalija Knavs’ funeral, saying she created a ‘legacy that will last for generations’.

Melania led a procession to lay her mother to rest at a church near Mar-a-Lago on Thursday morning.

Ex-President Donald Trump’s wife wore a black dress suit and sunglasses and walked alongside her father, Viktor Knavs, into the private service at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea.

A hearse arrived at the church in Palm Beach, Florida, at midmorning and an SUV carrying Melania and her husband followed behind, along with two other vehicles.

Melania was the only person among the hundreds in attendance to deliver a eulogy.

‘Her nurturing spirit had no limits, creating a legacy that will last for generations,’ she said of Knavs, who died on January 9 at the age of 78.

‘She showered her grandson Barron with affection, making his world with love, tender care and unwavering devotion.

‘In her presence, we were enveloped in the warmth of her embrace. We will be forever grateful for the unparalleled affection she bestowed on us.’

Melania added that Knavs ’embodied the best mother, wife, grandmother, mother-in-law’ and was ‘a true beacon of love and luxury in our lives’.

The former president sat nearby as his wife shared that ‘the world seemed to shimmer with radiance and joy’ in her mother’s presence.

‘Our bond was unbreakable,’ said Melania, adding that she would never forget traveling with her mother, father and sister and the ‘conversations that flowed effortlessly with grace and charm’.

Melania said her mother celebrated the Trump family’s victories and gave support in trying times.

‘Rest in peace my beloved mother,’ said Melania, then stepped off the pulpit, stood in front of Knavs’ casket, put her fingers to her lips and touched the case.

Among those in attendance were Melania and her husband’s son Barron, the ex-president’s daughters Ivanka and Tiffany, Ivanka’s husband Jared Kushner and Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Rick Scott.

A priest held an urn of incense and a man carried a cross as Knav’s coffin was lifted from the church and put on a hearse. Melania and her father, followed by her husband and Barron, walked behind.

Melania and her husband exchanged words with the priest, then the ex-president led his wife and her father to an SUV, and got into a different vehicle himself.

Knavs’ illness has not been disclosed. Shortly after Melania missed the Trump family’s Christmas photo at Mar-a-Lago, it was revealed that she was at her sick mother’s bedside at a hospital in Miami.

The Knavses raised Melania and her older sister in Sevnica, Slovenia. Amalija was a homemaker and textile worker and her husband was a chauffeur and car dealer. Melania sponsored her parents’ immigration to the US and they became American citizens in 2018. The couple lived in New York City during Trump’s presidency.

Knavs’ funeral was held at the same church where Melania and the former president got married in 2005.

Trump missed the third day of the second defamation trial brought by rape accuser E Jean Carroll in New York to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral.

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