Time for her funeral Elizabeth II is approaching, with royalty, heads of state and dignitaries from around the world flocking to London to see her off to her final home on Monday.
Among them, US President Joe Biden, who he arrived on Saturday night accompanied by his wife Jill. On Sunday afternoon the US presidential couple will pay tribute to the body of Elizabeth II, which is still on display for popular pilgrimage until Monday morning. It is not clear whether Westminster Hall will be evacuated for the occasion, but security measures for the US president are draconian.
Joe Biden will attend a reception hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palaceon Sunday evening, in honor of the distinguished guests.
London is feverishly preparing for her first public funeral since Winston Churchill’s in 1965. The ceremony attracts distinguished guests to the British capital. They stand out among them, in addition to the president of the United States, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel. They will also be present Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, Japan’s Emperor Naruhito (on his first trip abroad since ascending to the throne in 2019) and Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader of Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman. From the Greek side, the present will give the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Guests are also crowned, such as Prince Albert of Monaco, King Felipe of Spain and his father, Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014 and lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates.
Westminster Abbey, where the funeral will take place at 11 am (local time, 13:00 Greek time) on Monday, can accommodate 2,000 people.
The police have planned draconian security measures, stricter than those for the 2012 Olympics held in London.
The list of dignitaries in detail:
America
-Joe Biden and Jill Biden, President and First Lady of the United States
-Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
-Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil
-Paula-Mae Weekes, President of Trinidad and Tobago
-Sandra Mason, President of Barbados
-Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica
-Floyla Tzalam, Governor General of Belize
-Susan Dougan, Governor General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Europe-Middle East
-Emmanuel Macron, President of France
-Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany
-Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy
-Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland
-Micheál Martin, Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland
-Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal
-Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria
-Katalin Novak, President of Hungary
-Andrzej Duda, President of Poland
-Egils Levits, President of Latvia
-Gitanas Nauseda, President of Lithuania
-Sauli Niinisto, President of Finland
– Katerina Sakellaropoulou, President of Greece
-George Vella, President of Malta
-Nikos Anastasiadis, President of Cyprus
-Charles Michel, President of the European Council
-Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
-Isaac Herzog, President of Israel
-Mohammad Shtayyeh, Palestinian Prime Minister
-Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO
Africa
-Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa
-Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria
-Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana
-Ali Bongo, President of Gabon
Asia
-Droupadi Murmu, President of India
-Wang Qishan, Vice President of China
-Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka
-Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh
-Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
-Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia
-Yoon Suk-yeol, President of South Korea
Members of royal families
-Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan
-King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
-King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
-Juan Carlos, former King of Spain
-King Philip and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
-Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Maria
-King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
-King Harald V and Queen Sonia of Norway
-King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
-Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah
-King Abdullah of Jordan
-Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah
-King of Lesotho, Letsie III
-Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein
-Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri
-Sultan Abdullah of Pahang, Malaysia
-Prince of Monaco, Albert II
-Crown Prince of Morocco, Moulay Hassan
-Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said
– Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani
-King of Tonga, Tupou VI
*Leaders from Russia, Myanmar, Belarus, Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan have not been invited.
Broadcast in 125 cinemas and giant screens
The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will be screened in 125 cinemas across Great Britainas announced on Saturday by the British Ministry of Culture. Entrance to the cinemas for the viewing of the funeral is freebut most positions were already booked as of Thursday. Alongside, giant screens have been set up in parks, squares and cathedrals to show the ceremony.
The funeral at Westminster Abbey and the procession that follows will be broadcast live on the BBC, ITV and Sky networks.
The government declared a holiday on Monday for the funeralwhich is expected to attract larger crowds than most major events in modern British history: the funeral of the late Princess Diana in 1997, the 2012 London Olympics or royal weddings.
Watch live from Westminster:
Source: News Beast
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
