Queen Elizabeth will be laid to rest in a state funeral the like of which the UK has not seen for seventy years. In her unprecedented life as a working royal sovereign she has met countless world leaders and global royalty.
We are still waiting to find out more details of the funeral, including the date, but it is expected to be at Westminster Abbey which normally holds 2,200 congregants. Extra seating can be arranged to accommodate more than 8,000 people, as it did at the Queen's Coronation.
Since her death, tributes have been paid by many of the world leaders she met during her reign. Among them were 13 out of the last 14 US presidents, including Presidents Trump, Obama and George W Bush. Obama's fulsome tribute posted on Twitter said her reign had been "defined by grace, elegance and a tireless work ethic, defying the odds and expectations placed on women of her generation".
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Previous funerals of UK sovereigns have been seen the most powerful people in the world of their day attend. When the Queen's grandfather died, King Edward VII's funeral in May 1910 was the largest gathering of European royalty ever to take place, with representatives of 70 states, and the last before many royal families were deposed in World War and its aftermath.
The photograph below shows the new British monarch King George V surrounded by many of the most senior of those royals including Kaiser Wilhelm II, the German Emperor, who would be leading his country into war within just four years. Seated to the left of George V was Alfonso XIII of Spain, whose great-grandson King Felipe of Spain is likely to attend the Queen's funeral.
The last funeral of a sovereign in the UK was for Queen Elizabeth's father George VI in 1952. His funeral came just seven years after the end of WWII and was affected by it with the Belgian King Baudouin refusing to attend because of a grudge. But was still attended by many world leaders with the US government represented by Secretary of State Dean Acheson.
It remains to be seen how many of the world leaders the Queen has met, and who have paid fulsome tribute to her will make the trip to London for her funeral. President Trump paid tribute to her describing her as a "beautiful lady" with blessed with "generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humour". US Presidents Clinton, Bush and Carter, all of whom visited Buckingham Palace, also issued statements soon after her death.
The European royalty likely to attend include Queen Margrethe II of Denmark who has taken her mantle as Europe's longest-serving reigning monarch. In a letter to Prince Charles, she told him that the queen had been "very important to me and my family. She was a towering figure among the European monarchs and a great inspiration".
World leaders like Chinese President Xi, who met the Queen on his state visit to the UK in 2015, and French President Emanuel Macron have also both paid tribute and would be likely to send representatives to attend the funeral if they cannot attend themselves.
All members of the senior royal will be there, including her children, King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew. Her grandchildren - Prince William, Prince Harry, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Princess Louise and James, Viscount of Severn.
Prince William will be accompanied by his wife Catherine, who are now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, while it's not yet known if their three children George, Charlotte and Louis will accompany them. Read about the new titles here. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are currently visiting the UK, so will be likely to attend.
Prime Minister Liz Truss, who had only been in the job two days before the death of the Queen, will lead British politicians paying their respects at the funeral.
The Queen Mother's funeral in 2022 was watched by 10 million people around the world. Around 1,700 military personnel took part in the funeral procession, and 2,200 people were invited to join the congregation for the service at Westminster Abbey.
The queen will be buried next to her father King George VI, her sister Princess Margaret, and Prince Philip, the queen's late husband of 73 years. Once the Queen's coffin has been transported to London and placed in Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster in London., members of the public will by able to pay their respects as the monarch lies in state.
For a royal lying in state, the coffin is draped in a royal flag, usually a personal standard, and rests on a catafalque – a raised platform covered with a purple cloth, flanked by a military guard around the clock.
A priceless crown and other regalia are traditionally placed on top of a sovereign’s coffin. The last person to lie in state in the UK was the Queen Mother in 2002.
The big procession will take place after the funeral when there is likely to be a full military parade, with contributions from the Navy and the RAF, as the coffin travels down The Mall. This parade will end at Hyde Park Corner, at which point the hearse will travel by road to Windsor Castle.
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