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Melania Trump and Barack Obama were spotted sharing a laugh at Barbara Bush's funeral on Saturday afternoon while Donald Trump skipped it.

The White House had earlier announced that President Trump wouldn not be attending the funeral of the former first lady 'out of respect for the Bush family', but instead sent wife Melania to the service.

At the funeral, held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, the First Lady was sat next to former President Barack Obama.

While some might have predicted an awkward encounter, on the contrary, the pair were seen laughing together.

And it wasn't long before social media users began to joke about how happy Melania looked despite being at a funeral.

One said: “Melania looks happier at a funeral than she has in ages. Wouldn’t you too if you went from being with Donald every day to sitting next to Barack?”

A second shared: "Melania is actually happier with Obama at a funeral than she is with Trump at his inauguration dinner!"

Another wrote: "Barack Obama is beind kind and gracious to the wife of a man who is the total opposite of kind and gracious to him every day. Let that be a lesson."

Some 1,500 mourners gathered on Saturday for the funeral of Mrs Bush, the matriarch of one of the country's most prominent political dynasties, who died at age 92 on Tuesday.

Along with Obama, former first lady Michella Obama attended, as did Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton .

The White House had previously said that President Trump would not be in attendance "to avoid disruptions due to added security, and out of respect for the Bush Family".

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: AFP)

Instead Trump spent the morning at his Mar-a-Lago Florida resort tweeting about his longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who is the subject of a criminal investigation.

After shooting 18 holes at his own gold course, Trump tweeted: "Heading to the Southern White House to watch the Funeral Service of Barbara Bush.

"First Lady Melania has arrived in Houston to pay our respects. Will be a beautiful day!"

(Image: Barcroft Media) (Image: REX/Shutterstock) (Image: AFP)

High-ranking officials from the elder Bush's administration, including former Vice President Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney, who served as defense secretary before later becoming George W. Bush's vice president, were also among the mourners.

Trump clashed with the Bush family during his 2016 campaign for the White House, scolding fellow Republican candidate Jeb Bush, brother of George.