Why the Obamas skipped Dick Cheney’s funeral as Michelle’s past absences 'broke protocol'

US dignitaries gathered together on Thursday (20 November) for Dick Cheney's funeral - and the Obamas was noticeably absent.

Cheney, who died on November 3 at the age of 84, was a businessman and former Vice President of the United States, having served two terms alongside Republican President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009.

He served as President Gerald Ford's White House chief of staff in the 1970s, before going on to spend a decade in the House of Representatives.

President George HW Bush made him defence secretary during the first Gulf War and the US invasion of Panama as he was also known as one of the most polarising vice presidents in American history.

Cheney's family revealed that he had died from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease and was surrounded by his wife Lynne, and daughters Liz and Mary.

Among those paying tribute at the funeral were Bush, as well as Cheney's daughter Liz, and a slew of both Republican and Democrat lawmakers.

Former US Vice President Dick Cheney died earlier this month (Tom Benitez - Pool/Getty Images)

US President Trump and Vice President JD Vance were not invited to the late Cheney's funeral, a White House official reportedly confirmed to Reuters.

As we say, Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were also missing and a source told PEOPLE that they didn't plan to attend, without providing a reason.

On November 5, Barack penned a tribute to the politician, writing on Facebook: "Although Dick Cheney and I represented very different political traditions, I respected his life-long devotion to public service and his deep love of country. Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to his family."

It comes after former First Lady Michelle notably missed a few other similar events this year, such as the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter on January 9 and the second inauguration of Trump later the same month.

All five living presidents were in attendance at Carter's funeral, as were the First Ladies, and her husband Barack attended both events solo.

She faced criticism at the time and Canadian businessman Kevin O'Leary pointed out on Fox News that he thinks her behaviour is 'wrong'.

Michelle has faced criticism in the past for missing similar events (Tom Williams/Getty Images)

He said about Michelle missing the inauguration: "This tradition has gone on for over 100 years ... You have to respect it. I don't like what she's doing here. I'm against it. I think it's wrong."

As per PEOPLE: Michelle has previously spoken out about her absences on her IMO podcast in April, reflecting how she's practicing how to 'say no'.

She said: “It took everything in my power to not do the thing that was perceived as right, but do the things that was right for me, that was a hard thing for me to do."

Michelle added that making decisions independently about which events to attend was part of this - saying no when she feels like that's the right choice for her.

"Practice the 'art of saying no' when it feels like the right decision."

The former First Lady added: "It's a muscle that you have to build. And I think we suffered, because it's almost like we started training late in life to build that muscle, right? I am just now starting to build it."

Tyla has contacted the Obamas for comment.