On Monday the 19th September, royals, politicians, and celebrities will pay their respects to the world's longest-reigning monarch, here we share who will be attending The Queen's funeral and who hasn't been invited.
- The Queen's funeral will take place at 11am on Monday the 19th of September at Westminster Abbey
- It is the same venue where the Queen married her late husband, Prince Philip, 75 years ago
- In other royal news, Princess Catherine has given a sweet update on Prince George, Charlotte and Louis’ ‘settling in’ at Lambrook School as they mourn Queen Elizabeth
Who will be attending The Queen's funeral?
On the day of the state funeral, the 2,000 capacity venue will be filled with family members, public figures, and those who worked with the Queen, while the public watch the affair live on TV.
Of course, The Queen's family will be in attendance to mourn the passing of their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. The Queen's four children, King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, and Prince Edward, will attend as will Camilla, the Queen Consort, and the Countess of Wessex.
The Metro reports that Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also attend The Queen’s funeral despite not attending any mourning events so far.
The Queen's grandchildren, Princes William and Harry, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, will be present.
Spouses of all close family members are expected to be present too, meaning Princess Catherine of Wales and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, will also be attending.
The Queen's cousins, The Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, are also expected to attend.
A long list of foreign monarchs will too be attending the state funeral, including;
- 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 I, former King of Spain, and his wife Sofia
- King Philip and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
- Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary
- King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
- King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway
Sky News reports reports, according to a Foreign Office source, that around 500 guests and nearly 100 heads of government from around 200 countries and territories will attend also the funeral.
One of these over-seas powers is US President Joe Biden, who has confirmed he will attend, as will his wife, First Lady Jill Biden.
Liz Truss, the UK prime minister, is expected to attend, as is Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer. The Irish prime minister, Micheal Martin, and President Michael D Higgins have confirmed they will travel to London for the event. The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, is also expected to be there.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have all said they will be attending.
China's Vice President Wang Qishan will too attend as the special representative of President Xi Jinping, officials have said.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Australia's Governor-General David Hurley, South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and Indian President Droupadi Murmu will all be at Westminster Abbey too.
Away from high profile attendees, the Queen's closest staff will also be there to say a final goodbye. Nearly 200 key workers and volunteers who were recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list have also been selected to attend the funeral.
Who hasn't been invited to The Queen's funeral?
The 2,000 capacity venue, Westminster Abbey, will be so full for the funeral, that it will only be possible for one single, senior representative and their partner from each country to attend, Sky News reports. It is therefore unclear whether former US presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, and their wives Michelle and Melania, all of whom met the Queen, will be in attendance.
Invites have not been sent to Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela or Afghanistan, while Iran, North Korea and Nicaragua will only be represented at ambassadorial level, Sky News reports according to Whitehall sources.
Unfortunately, The Queen's corgis will not be at the funeral as the "no dog" rule at Westminster Abbey rules it out completely.
The Vatican announced that Pope Francis will not attend the Queen's funeral. In a statement released on Friday 16th September, Rome said the church would instead be represented by a senior official who acts as the Vatican’s representative on foreign affairs.
Earlier in the week, Pope Francis did send a message of condolence to Britain’s new head of state, King Charles III. The message read, “Deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, I offer heartfelt condolences to Your Majesty, the Members of the Royal Family, the People of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”
Related articles:
- Where is Princess Diana buried and can you visit her grave?
- What does lying in state mean and what is the history behind it?
- Where is Prince Philip buried? The Queen will join her husband at St George’s Chapel
- Where will the Queen be buried? Details of Her Majesty's final resting place
- How many great-grandchildren does the Queen have and who are they?
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