A funeral for a queen.
The state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will take place on Monday, September 19. The first state funeral in Britain since 1965, will be attended by royals from the UK and abroad, British politicians, and 500 heads of state from around the world.
At 11 a.m., it will begin. The service will be held in London. The church has hosted hundreds of royal occasions, including the wedding of Prince William, now Prince of Wales, and Kate Middleton in April 2011. The monarch was coronated there in1953.
The Queen will be lain in state for four days at the Abbey before the service starts. The Royal Navy has a State Gun Carriage.
Several hundred guests will attend the service led by the Dean of Westminster David Hoyle once the coffin is inside the abbey.
While no official guest list has been released, here is who is expected to be in the pews on Monday.
The royal family
The nation was led in mourning by members of the Queen’s extended family. Most of the family is expected to attend on Monday, so this will continue.
- King Charles III and Camilla, the queen consort
- Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales
- Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex
- Princess Anne, Princess Royal, and Sir Timothy Laurence
- Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York
- Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex
UK leaders
The service will be attended by senior members of the UK government, led by the Conservative Prime Minister.
World leaders
About 500 heads of state were invited to the event.
- President Biden and first lady Jill Biden
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
- Irish President Michael D. Higgins
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
Foreign royalty
European royalty are related to the British royal family by blood and elected officials will rub shoulders with them.
- King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
- King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
- King Felipe VI and Queen Letitia of Spain
- King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
- Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco
Who didn’t make the cut?
The lengthy guest list is set to pack the Abbey on the 19th, but also notable is who was not invited. The nations were denied an invitation.
- Russia
- Belarus
- Myanmar
- Afghanistan
- Syria
- Venezuela
Russia was snubbed in particular because of the ongoing war in Ukraine, and just days after Putin welcomed King Charles III.
As opposed to the heads of state, North Korea, Iran and Nicaragua were invited to send ambassadorial representatives.
There was a rumor that Donald Trump would attend the US delegation. There are limits to the size of the delegation, so only the sitting president and his wife will be present.
The descent of so many high-profile visitors will necessitate complex security maneuvering.
Bob Broadhurst, who was in charge of security for the 2012 London Olympics, predicted that up to 10,000 police officers would be assigned to the operation each day.
Foreign heads of state are expected to park outside of London and travel to the Abbey by bus on the day of the funeral. To avoid overwhelming the surrounding airports, they have been encouraged to arrive in the UK via commercial flights.