Political leaders and heads of state from around the world will attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday.
The service at Westminster Abbey gets under way from 11am and members of the public are expected to line the streets of London as the late monarch’s coffin is taken to the service.
King Charles III has approved an order that the day of the Queen’s funeral will be a bank holiday in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
Westminster Abbey can hold a congregation of around 2,000 people, with heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, European royals and key figures from public life all attending.
Here’s who we know will be making an appearance at the Queen’s funeral.
Who will attend the Queen’s funeral from the UK?
As you would expect, members of the royal family will be well represented at the funeral.
King Charles III and Queen Consort, Camilla are attending, along with the King’s siblings: the Princess Royal, Duke of York and Earl of Wessex, accompanied by their respective partners.
The newly crowned Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will also appear, alongside many of the Queen’s other grandchildren.
In addition, Prime Minister Liz Truss and her living predecessors – Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Sir John Major – will attend proceedings at Westminster Abbey.
Who will attend the Queen’s funeral from overseas?
Around 500 dignitaries from around the world are expected to descend on London to pay their last respects to the long-reigning monarch.
Invitations were sent over the weekend to the heads of state of countries, with whom the UK has diplomatic relations. For most nations, the invitation extends to the head of state, plus a guest.
Tasos Katopodis / Stringer via Getty ImagesUS President Joe Biden was among the first to declare he would be flying into London with his wife, Jill Biden.
When Biden arrives in Britain, he is understood to have dispensation to take the heavily armoured presidential car, known as the Beast, while other leaders will have to take the bus.
The leaders of most Commonwealth countries are expected to attend, with New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, making the nearly 24-hour journey earlier this week.
She travelled with a delegation of compatriots “from different walks of life”, including the Maori king, Kiingi Tuheitia, former governor-general Dame Silvia Cartwright, Victoria Cross for New Zealand recipient Bill Apiata and former secretary-general of the Commonwealth Sir Don McKinnon.
Hagen Hopkins / Stringer via Getty ImagesHer Canadian and Australian counterparts, Justin Trudeau and Anthony Albanese, have also confirmed their presence.
Albanese announced that he will not be travelling alone, tweeting that at the Palace’s invitation, he and governor-general David Hurley will be accompanied by ten “everyday” Australians who have “made extraordinary contributions to their communities”.
The party will include racehorse trainer Chris Waller and wheelchair tennis star Dylan Alcott.
Albanese has said that he will also travel alongside four leaders of Pacific Commonwealth nations to the Queen’s funeral.
Tamati Smith / Stringer via Getty ImagesThe respective leaders of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Samoa and Papua New Guinea have accepted Australia’s offer of help with transportation to London. The delegation will fly to the UK on Thursday evening.
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin has confirmed he and president Michael D Higgins will attend the Queen’s funeral.
France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italy’s Sergio Mattarella, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro are among the presidents attending, along with the European Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen.
Getty ImagesOther presidents who have accepted invitations include Finland’s Sauli Niinisto, Austria’s Alexander Van der Bellen, Lithuania’s Gitanas Nauseda, Sri Lanka’s Ranil Wickremesinghe, South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol and Poland’s Andrzej Duda, according to Reuters.
Hungarian President Katalin Nova is expected to attend, along with Latvia’s Egils Levits, and Paula-Mae Weekes, of the Trinidad and Tobago.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, is also expected to travel to London for the ceremony. Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Israel’s President Isaac Herzog are understood to be attending.
Chris Jackson / Staff via Getty ImagesKing Felipe of Spain and his wife, Queen Letizia, are among the European Royals who will attend.
Royals from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are also expected to travel to London for the Queen’s funeral.
Emperor Naruhito of Japan has announced he will travel to London, in what will be his first overseas trip, since ascending the throne in 2019. He will attend the service with Empress Masako.
Who will not attend the Queen’s funeral?
Invites to the Queen’s state funeral have not been sent to Russia, Belarus, Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan or Myanmar.
Meanwhile, Iran, North Korea and Nicaragua will only be represented at an ambassadorial level, Whitehall sources told PA.
Telegram/President of UkraineIt is also believed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will not make the trip.
Earlier this week, Zelensky had taken time out from organising his country’s fightback against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces to sign a book of condolence for the Queen.
Indian president Droupadi Murmu will represent her country at the funeral, meaning the prime minister, Narendra Modi, is not expected to be among the hundreds of foreign leaders due to attend the global spectacle.
Thomas Lohnes / Stringer via Getty ImagesTurkey said it would be represented by Mevlut Cavusoglu, the country’s foreign minister, not the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Meanwhile, the Vatican said a British-born archbishop will represent Pope Francis.
When will world leaders arrive for the Queen’s funeral?
Many of the heads of state attending the late sovereign’s funeral are expected to arrive in the UK by Sunday, September 18.
King Charles III will host a reception for all the overseas leaders at Buckingham Palace, on the evening before the funeral service.
STV NewsAfterwards, they can attend the lying-in-state of the Queen’s coffin, before signing the condolence book at Lancaster House.
How will the Queen’s funeral work?
On the morning of Monday, September 19, the lying-in-state period will end and the coffin will be taken in procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey.
Following the funeral service, the coffin will travel in procession to Wellington Arch and then onto Windsor Castle.
iStockLater in the evening, the Queen will be buried privately in St George’s Chapel – an annex to the main church. The area is where her mother and father were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.
Philip’s coffin will also move from the Royal Vault to the memorial chapel to join the Queen’s.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
