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Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, who will attend and who won't?

Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, who will attend and who won't?

The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will be held on Monday among members of the royal family and politicians organized in the United Kingdom for decades. Invitations were delivered over the weekend to about 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries.

Family, friends and courtiers in the congregation will also be part of the funeral, the BBC reports.

The guest list has not been confirmed, but it is more or less known who is expected to attend and who will not be present at the funeral.

The Royal Family

King Charles, accompanied by his wife Camilla and the new Queen. The Queen's three other children, Anne, Andrew and Edward, will also be in attendance, as will their spouses - including Sarah Ferguson, Andrew's ex-wife.

The Queen's grandchildren - including Princes William and Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn - are also expected, along with their husbands and wives. It is not yet clear how many of the Queen's 12 great-grandchildren will attend.

Among others expected are Earl Spencer, brother of Princess Diana, son of the late Queen and uncle of William and Harry; Prince and Princess Michael of Kent; and the Duke and Duchess of Kent.

Friends and servants of the Queen

At the top of any invitation list will surely be the ladies-in-waiting who have been at the Queen's side for decades.

These include Lady Susan Hussey, who began working for the Queen in 1960 and is Prince William's godmother. She accompanied the Queen to Prince Philip's funeral in 2021. Another is Dame Mary Morrison, who returned to the Queen's side as soon as she could after breaking her ankle in 2018 aged 81.

European royal families

Members of royal families from all over Europe were expected, many of whom were blood relatives of the Queen.

King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde have confirmed they will be there, as will King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife, Queen Maxima, along with his mother, former Dutch queen Princess Beatrix.

Mbreti Felipe dhe mbretëresha Letizia e Spanjës kanë pranuar gjithashtu një ftesë, si dhe familjet mbretërore të Norvegjisë, Suedisë, Danimarkës dhe Monakos.

Udhëheqësit e Commonwealth

Pritet që të marrin pjesë liderë nga i gjithë Komonuelthi, ku Mbretëresha shërbeu si kreu gjatë gjithë mbretërimit të saj.

Kryeministri australian Anthony Albanese ka pranuar një ftesë, ashtu si kryeministrja e Zelandës së Re Jacinda Ardern dhe kryeministri kanadez Justin Trudeau.

Kryeministri afatgjatë i Bangladeshit Sheikh Hasina dhe presidenti i Sri Lankës Ranil Wickremesinghe gjithashtu thuhet se kanë pranuar ftesat. India do të përfaqësohet nga Presidenti Droupadi Murmu.

Liderë të tjerë botërorë

Shtëpia e Bardhë ka konfirmuar se presidenti Joe Biden do të marrë pjesë së bashku me Zonjën e Parë Jill Biden.

Udhëheqës të tjerë botërorë që thuhet se kanë pranuar ftesat përfshijnë Taoiseachin irlandez Micheal Martin, presidentin gjerman Frank-Walter Steinmeier, presidentin italian Sergio Mattarella dhe presidentin francez Emmanuel Macron.

Presidenti kinez Xi Jinping mori një ftesë - një vendim që u kritikua nga disa deputetë dhe kolegë, për shkak të trajtimit të qeverisë kineze ndaj pakicës ujgure. Sipas burimeve parlamentare, zyrtarëve kinezë iu ndalua të merrnin pjesë në shtratin e Mbretëreshës në Westminster Hall. Të shtunën, qeveria kineze konfirmoi se zëvendëspresidenti Wang Qishan do të merrte pjesë në funeralin.

Princi i kurorës i Arabisë Saudite - dhe sundimtari de facto - Mohammed Bin Salman është ftuar dhe Ambasada Saudite në Londër konfirmoi se ai do të ishte në MB këtë fundjavë. Kjo do të jetë vizita e tij e parë që nga vrasja e gazetarit dhe kritikut saudit Jamal Khashoggi në vitin 2018.

Të pa ftuar

Përfaqësues nga Siria, Venezuela dhe Afganistani nuk janë ftuar, raporton James Landale i BBC. Kjo pasi Britania e Madhe nuk ka marrëdhënie të plota diplomatike me këto vende.

Askush nga Rusia, Bjellorusia dhe Myanmar nuk është ftuar.

Diplomatic relations between the UK and Russia have collapsed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was "not considering" attending the funeral. The invasion was launched partly from the territory of Belarus. And the UK has significantly scaled back its diplomatic presence in Myanmar since a military coup last year.

North Korea (DPRK) and Nicaragua have been invited to send only ambassadors, not heads of state.

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