Who’s attending Queen’s funeral, and who’s not

• The state burial of Queen Elizabeth II will take place in London on Monday.
• It will be attended by royals from around the world.
• A few nations are invited to the funeral.

One of the largest diplomatic meetings in recent memory will take place during the state burial of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday in London, attended by hundreds of foreign royals and dignitaries.

Only heads of state and one or two guests, according to reports, have been invited to Britain’s first state burial in 60 years. Westminster Abbey can hold about 2,000 people.

Due to political reasons, a few nations have not yet been invited to the funeral, which has caused an angry outburst in at least one instance.

Here are some notable attendees as well as those who weren’t included on the list:

World aristocracy

The funeral of one of the world’s longest-reigning monarchs will be attended by a large number of royals from Europe and beyond.

It will be the first international journey for the Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako since they took the throne in 2019. Additionally, it is a departure from Japanese custom, which only occasionally sees the emperor attend funerals.

It will not be surprising to see numerous kings from the continent in the assembly because the royal families of Europe are closely related as a result of centuries of blending their lineages.

King Philippe of Belgium, King Harald V of Norway, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima and Crown Princess Beatrix, and Prince Albert II of Monaco will all be present.

Following the passing of her third cousin Queen Elizabeth, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, who had planned a number of celebrations for her 50th jubilee, is also attending.

King Felipe VI of Spain and his father, Juan Carlos I, who abdicated in disgrace in 2014 and currently resides in self-imposed exile in the United Arab Emirates, will both be there.

World leaders

Following the White House’s confirmation that they would attend the funeral, US Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden are at the top of the diplomatic guest list.

Biden apparently has clearance to utilise The Beast, his armoured presidential vehicle, unlike several other leaders who have been required to travel in coaches arranged by the British government.

The Elysee announced that French President Emmanuel Macron will also attend to honour the “eternal queen” and demonstrate France’s “unbreakable” ties with Britain.

According to British officials, he is one of the other leaders who is permitted to use their own vehicles.

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan are also expected.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and Charles Michel, the leader of the European Council, will both be in attendance despite Britain’s decision to leave the European Union (Brexit).

Presidents Sergio Mattarella of Italy, Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, Isaac Herzog of Israel, and Yoon Suk-yeol of Korea will attend the funeral as additional heads of state.

Prime Minister Micheal Martin of Ireland, who served as Taoiseach during the monarch’s 2011 state visit that helped ease decades-long tensions, will also go as a symbolic tribute to the monarch.

Heads of Commonwealth nations and realms

There will be several leaders from the 56-nation Commonwealth as well as from the nations that still regarded Elizabeth II as their monarch.

All three leaders, whose countries have the British monarch as their head of state—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern—are planning to attend.

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, President Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka, and Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama of Fiji are among the leaders from the Commonwealth, which is made up primarily of former British colonies.

Not permitted

Following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a tiny number of countries, including Russia and Belarus, will not attend the queen’s funeral, according to a British official source.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has previously stated he would not go since he is prohibited from travelling to the UK because of sanctions.

However, the Russian foreign ministry in Moscow stated on Thursday that not inviting any Russian officials to the queen’s funeral was “especially disrespectful towards Elizabeth II’s memory” and “very unethical.”

Under the condition of anonymity, the British source claimed that the military-run Myanmar, a former British colony, and longtime pariah North Korea had also been passed over.

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