Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife Olena and Emperor Naruhito of Japan are the latest global leaders reportedly confirmed as attendees for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
All 2,000 seats in Westminster Abbey will be filled when the state funeral is held on Monday 19 September from 11am.
For the funeral, each country is limited to one representative and their spouse or partner as their plus one.
The Queen, who celebrated the 70th year of her reign this year, passed away aged 96 on Thursday 8 September at Balmoral.
Mr Zelensky’s attendance was always in doubt due to the ongoing war with Russia, but his wife will reportedly join other heads of state at the funeral before flying back to Ukraine.
However because of the ongoing conflict and sanctions against Russia, Vladimir Putin – who has sent his condolences to the royals – has not been invited.
President Joe Biden has confirmed that he and his wife Jill will be attending the funeral. There had been discussion that former president Donald Trump would also attend, but that is seen as unlikely.
Among European leaders attending include French president Emmanuel Macron, who has spoken to King Charles III and pointedly remarked that Paris and London have an “unbreakable tie”, after new British prime minister Liz Truss refused to say recently if he was a “friend or foe” of the UK.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also attend. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey will also be there.
Among those travelling from Commonwealth nations are Canada’s Justin Trudeau, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, who is said to have arrived in Britain already, and Australia’s Anthony Albanese.
One of the more notable political figures attending will be Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. Chinese President Xi Jinping received an invitation but Beijing is considering sending “a high-level delegation”. Iran will be represented at ambassadorial level. North Korea and Nicaragua have been invited to send only ambassadors.
On Friday it was confirmed that Pope Francis will not attend the funeral, sending a senior Vatican official instead.
Others heads of state that will reportedly be attending are: Droupadi Murmu, president of India, Alexander Van der Bellen, president of Austria, Gitanas Nauseda, president of Lithuania, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lankan president, Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korean president, Andrzej Duda, president of Poland, Sergio Mattarella, president of Italy, Egils Levits, president of Latvia, Paula-Mae Weekes, president of Trinidad and Tobago, Mohammad Shtayyeh, Palestinian prime minister, Sauli Niinisto, president of Finland, Katalin Novak, Hungarian president, Andrew Holness, prime minister of Jamaica, Floyla Tzalam, Governor General of Belize, Susan Dougan, governor general of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sheikh Hasina, prime minister of Bangladesh.
Spain’s King Felipe is among royals that are reportedly planning to fly to the UK for the funeral.
Members of royal families in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are also expected to travel to London but the representatives have not been named and confirmed.
The Queen’s coffin has been lying in state at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh following a procession through the city on Monday (12 September) led by her heir King Charles III.
Two days later, she will lie in state in Westminster Hall – at the Palace of Westminster – for five nights until 6.30am on the day of the funeral. During those days, the public will be able to pay their respects in person 24 hours a day.
Of the royal family, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will be in attendance, as well as the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
The Queen’s grandchildren, Prince William and Prince Harry, Peter Philips and Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, will also be present at the ceremony.
Her cousins will likely be there, including the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
The UK’s new prime minister Liz Truss is expected to attend, as well as Labour party leader Keir Starmer.
In addition, the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting and her closest staff will likely be there.
The Queen’s funeral is expected to take place without any Covid restrictions, unlike the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral on 17 April 2021.
Prince Philip died on 9 April 2021 at the age of 99 and his funeral took place when coronavirus restrictions were still in place in England.
Due to the virus measures, only 30 mourners were allowed to attend the ceremony, including the Queen and other members of the royal family.
But the Duke’s memorial service, which was held almost a full year later in March 2022, saw 1,800 guests attending the event at Westminster Abbey.
The guest list included members of royal families from Spain, the Netherlands, Monaco, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, and Greece. These members will likely be in attendance at the Queen’s funeral to pay their respects to the longest-reigning monarch in the world.
