BBC: The Queen’s funeral on Monday is set to be one of the biggest gatherings of royalty and politicians hosted in the UK for decades. Invitations went out over the weekend, with some 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries expected to attend.
The majority of leaders have been asked to arrive on commercial flights and told they will be bussed en masse from a site in west London. The ceremony at Westminster Abbey has a capacity for around 2,200 people.
Here’s what we know so far about who will and won’t be in attendance:
Members of royal families from across Europe, many of whom were blood relatives of the Queen, are expected.
Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde have confirmed they will be there, as have King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife, Queen Maxima, along with his mother, former Dutch queen Princess Beatrix.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain have also accepted an invitation, as have the royal families of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Monaco.
The White House has confirmed that President Joe Biden will attend along with First Lady Jill Biden, although they are understood not to be travelling to the service by bus.
Much discussion had focused on whether President Biden would invite his predecessor, Donald Trump, to form part of the US delegation, but the limits to the delegation sizes mean former presidents will not necessarily be able to attend.
There has been speculation that some former president and first ladies – particularly the Obamas – might receive private invites.
Jimmy Carter, who served as president from 1977 to 1981, has not received an invitation, his office told Politico.
Leaders from across the Commonwealth, of which the Queen served as head for the entirety of her reign, are expected to attend.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accepted an invitation, as have New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
A number of governors-general who serve as the representative of the monarch in a Commonwealth realm are expected to attend with their countries’ leaders.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe have also reportedly accepted invitations. India will be represented by President Droupadi Murmu.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have also confirmed their attendance.
Also expected to make the trip are Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who this week left China for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, has received an invitation. The country’s foreign ministry said Beijing was “considering sending a high-level delegation”.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, long the subject of international sanctions over its nuclear programme, will be represented only at ambassadorial level, Whitehall sources said.
Representatives from Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan have not been invited, reports the BBC’s James Landale. This is because the UK does not have full diplomatic relations with these countries.
No-one from Russia, Belarus and Myanmar has been invited either. North Korea (DPRK) and Nicaragua have been invited to send only ambassadors, not heads of state.
