Who Was and Was Not Invited to Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral?

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

There is enough for around 2,000 individuals inside Westminster Abbey. According to sources from the BBC and Sky News, 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries are anticipated, along with their partners.

The queen’s relatives, courtiers, celebrities, and UK politicians will all attend Britain’s first official burial in 60 years.

World Royalty

Numerous royals from across Europe and beyond have said they will attend the funeral of Britain’s longest-reigning head of state.

The event will be attended by the Japanese emperor and empress for the first time since they took the throne in 2019. The emperor seldom attends funerals in Japan, thus the visit is a departure from the norm.

It will not be surprising to see numerous rulers from the continent because Europe’s royal dynasties are closely related as a result of centuries of blending their bloodlines.

King Philippe, King of Belgium, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Prince Albert II of Monaco, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, and King Harald V of Norway will all attend.

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

King Felipe VI of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia will be present. Likewise will his father, Juan Carlos I, a former monarch who abdicated in disgrace in 2014 and currently resides in self-imposed exile in the United Arab Emirates.

Even though he had been invited, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler and crown prince Mohammed bin Salman decided not to go late on Sunday.

The 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey by Saudi operatives sparked indignation on a global scale.

Global leaders

Olena Zelensky, wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is most likely to attend after visiting the queen’s casket at Westminster Hall on Sunday.

The diplomatic guest list is headed by US Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill, who arrived in Britain late on Saturday and paid their respects in front of the coffin on Sunday.

Biden apparently has clearance to utilize The Beast, his armored presidential limousine, unlike several other leaders who have been required to travel in motor coaches organized by the British government.

According to the Elysee Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron will attend to honor the “eternal queen” and demonstrate France’s “unbreakable” link with Britain.

He is also one of the leaders who can use their own vehicle, according to British sources.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, both authoritarian leaders, will also attend.

Wang Qishan, China’s vice president, will travel to the UK at the request of the British government.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, will depart 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 South Korea will all attend the funeral as other heads of state.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin will be there as a symbolic tribute to the queen, whose 2011 state visit to the Republic of Ireland helped ease decades-long tensions over Northern Ireland’s status within the UK.

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Commonwealth countries

There will be several leaders from nations where Queen Elizabeth served as the head of state.

They include Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, and Justin Trudeau.

Leaders from the 56-nation Commonwealth, of which Queen Elizabeth served as the symbolic head, will also be represented.

They include Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Frank Bainimarama, the president of Sri Lanka.

Not invited

The United Kingdom decided to invite ambassadors from Iran, Nicaragua, and North Korea instead than heads of state due to tense relations.

Following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a tiny number of countries have been completely barred, including Russia and Belarus.

The event was already cancelled by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is currently prohibited by sanctions from traveling to the UK.

However, the spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry in Moscow stated Thursday that not inviting any Russian officials to the queen’s burial was “especially insulting towards Elizabeth II’s legacy” and “very unethical.”

The presidents of Russia and Belarus, whose countries have embassies in London, sent condolence letters to King Charles III.

Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela, and Afghanistan under Taliban authority are additional nations not issued invites.

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