Following her official funeral on September 19, Queen Elizabeth will be laid to rest with Prince Philip in St. George’s Chapel. Her parents were also laid to rest in Windsor Castle’s tiny chapel.
What time is the queen’s funeral?
The main service at Westminster Abbey in central London began shortly before 11 a.m. (10:00 GMT), followed by a committal service at 4 p.m. (15:00 GMT) in Windsor and a private service at 7:30 p.m. (18:30 GMT).
The royal family
The ceremony was led by King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, who walked behind the queen’s coffin. They were followed by the rest of the royal family, which included the queen’s other three children and their spouses, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward.
The Prince of Wales, William, and his brother, Prince Harry, were present, as were their wives, Kate, Princess of Wales, and Meghan Markle. They were joined by the queen’s other grandchildren and their partners, including Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn.
It is unknown how many of the queen’s 12 great-grandchildren will attend. However, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who are now second and third in line to the throne, were present.
Earl Spencer, the late Princess Diana’s brother, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were among those present.
State leaders
The diplomatic guests include US President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, who arrived in the UK on Saturday.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, will attend to demonstrate France’s “unbreakable” bond with Britain and to pay tribute to the “eternal queen,” according to the Élysée Palace.
Recep Tayyip Erdoan of Turkey and Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil will also be in attendance.
On the invitation of the UK government, China will send its Vice President, Wang Qishan.
Despite Britain’s exit from the EU, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Charles Michel, President of the European Council, will both leave.
Presidents Sergio Mattarella of Italy, Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, Isaac Herzog of Israel, and Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea will also attend the funeral.
The Irish taoiseach, Micheál Martin, will be present in a symbolic gesture to pay tribute to the Queen, whose 2011 state visit to the Republic of Ireland helped heal decades of tensions over Northern Ireland’s position in the UK.
Leaders of the world
Leaders from the Commonwealth, of which the queen served as head for the entirety of her reign, were present alongside British prime ministers past and present.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were among them.
In attendance were Indian President Droupadi Murmu, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, the Commonwealth’s current chair, and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe were also expected to attend.
US President Joe Biden was present, as was first lady Jill Biden. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin and President Michael Higgins joined them, as did French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
Not Attending
Although Chinese President Xi Jinping was not present, he reportedly received an invitation. Instead, China was represented by a small delegation led by Vice President Wang Qishan.
According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed Bin Salman, was also invited but did not attend. Western intelligence agencies have accused the ruler of being involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which he has denied.
Russia’s representatives were not invited as a result of the Kremlin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Representatives from Belarus and Myanmar were also not invited.
According to the BBC, representatives from Syria, Venezuela, and Afghanistan were also not invited. This is due to the fact that the United Kingdom does not have full diplomatic relations with those countries.