State funeral to involve the biggest security operation the British capital has ever seen.
https://www.politico.eu/article/world-leaders-descend-on-london-for-funeral-of-queen-elizabeth-ii/
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| Leaders touched down over the weekend ahead of Monday's royal funeral | Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images |
LONDON — Even in death, Queen Elizabeth II has convening power.
World leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden and France’s Emmanuel Macron descended on the U.K. capital to pay their respects to the late monarch Sunday, as the country prepared to say goodbye in grand style to its head of state for seven decades.
Leaders touched down over the weekend ahead of Monday’s royal funeral, which takes place in Westminster Abbey at 11 a.m. local time before a committal service later in the afternoon.
Using a fast-track VIP lane, some of those assembled joined members of the public in Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the queen, whose coffin is lying in state in the ancient Palace of Westminster until Monday morning.
Biden was applauded as he and his wife Jill arrived at the Houses of Parliament by presidential car. He appeared on the balcony overlooking Queen Elizabeth’s coffin, along with the first lady, late Sunday afternoon.
The U.S. president signed the official book of condolences for the late monarch at Lancaster House, and paid tribute to someone whose loss he said “leaves a giant hole” and who reminded him of his own mother.
He added: “Sometimes you think you’ll never overcome it, but as I’ve told the King, she’s going to be with him every step of the way, every minute, every moment and that’s a reassuring notion. So to all the people of England, to all the people of the United Kingdom, our hearts go out to you. And you were fortunate to have had her for 70 years, we all were. The world’s better for her.”
Macron was meanwhile spotted leaving the Houses of Parliament on foot with his wife, and the French president told reporters he was in London to “share the pain of the British.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, were among those who visited Westminster Hall to see the queen lying in state.
On Sunday night, leaders and dignitaries, including Biden and the first lady, will take part in a reception hosted by the new King Charles III.
While most world leaders paid understated visits, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan came under fire after he was caught having his picture taken at the foot of the late monarch’s coffin in a breach of the strict no-phones rule in force at the lying-in-state, the Sun newspaper reported Sunday.
The funeral of the only monarch most Britons have known is expected to bring central London to a standstill and involves the biggest security operation the capital has ever seen.
Liz Truss, who has been U.K. prime minister for less than a fortnight, met the king at Buckingham Palace, and is scheduled to mark a national “moment of reflection” for the queen outside No. 10 Downing Street.
On the buses
For all the warm words from visiting dignitaries, there will be some notable absences in Westminster Abbey on Monday.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, is no longer expected to attend the Westminster Abbey funeral, foreign office sources told Reuters on Sunday. Riyadh is expected to be represented by Prince Turki bin Mohammed al Saud instead. Extending an invitation to Bin Salman had been controversial following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Russia’s Vladimir Putin has not been invited.
British organizers have also had a diplomatic row on their hands over the logistics of getting a host of world leaders to an event at the heart of the U.K. capital.
The British foreign office faced a backlash after guidance to overseas embassies, obtained by POLITICO, stipulated that leaders “will be required” to leave their personal vehicles at a site in west London and instead arrive at the funeral in shared coaches, citing security and road restrictions.
Last week, there were reports some members of Middle Eastern and North African royalty were unlikely to travel to London as a result of the edict. A Kuwaiti official told the Guardian: “If the King came to our neighbourhood, we would not put him on a bus. Expecting firm friends of King Charles to all gather like schoolboys on a bus to go to the funeral is not the start we were expecting. That’s why some of us are staying away.”
Downing Street later said U.S. President Biden would not have to take the bus to Westminster Abbey — a move that sparked anger from some nations demanding the same treatment.
Yet other world leaders were more relaxed. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Sunday the proposal “just makes good sense.”
“I don’t think the bus warrants too much fuss,” she told the BBC.
https://www.politico.eu/article/world-leaders-descend-on-london-for-funeral-of-queen-elizabeth-ii/
Not Invited:
Russia
Venezuela
Afghanistan
Belarus
Syria
Myanmar
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UK parliament U-turns on letting Chinese delegation view Queen Elizabeth’s coffin
LONDON — A visiting Chinese delegation has been allowed to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state following a U-turn by U.K. parliamentary authorities.
Vice President Wang Qishan and three other representatives of the Chinese government were invited into Westminster Hall, which forms part of the Houses of Parliament, on Sunday afternoon.
POLITICO revealed on Thursday that Lindsay Hoyle, the House of Commons speaker, had rebuffed a request by Chinese government representatives to witness the ceremony because of Beijing’s sanctions on seven British parliamentarians.
China’s ambassador to the U.K. Zheng Zeguang has been barred from parliament for the past year because of the sanctions, which China imposed on MPs and peers it accused of spreading “lies and disinformation” about human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Access to Westminster Hall is not the sole jurisdiction of the Commons speaker but is shared with the Lords speaker, John McFall, and the lord great chamberlain, who is appointed by the monarch. On Saturday, parliamentary authorities announced that the Chinese delegation would be allowed into the lying-in-state after all.
A spokesperson for parliament said: “The head of states (or their representatives) who have been invited to attend the state funeral in Westminster Abbey are also invited to attend the lying in state in Westminster Hall.”
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader who is among those sanctioned by Beijing, claimed on Saturday that the “establishment” had “leant” on Hoyle to make him change his decision.
“The people that win at the end of the day, are the Chinese Communist party which is a brutal, dictatorial and anti-human rights organisation and all we’ve done is given them another victory,” Duncan Smith told the Telegraph.
Asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg whether he had indeed been “leant on” to change his decision, Hoyle replied: “I couldn’t say — nobody has been leaning on me at all, far from it.
”He added: “My view remains the same, that we would not welcome reception in parliament and that’s why I stopped the ambassador and accredited Chinese from coming into the House of Commons … My view remains the same. Nothing has changed.”
But he said: “This is not about the politics at the moment — this is about the grief that we all share.”
The ban on the Chinese ambassador entering parliament remains in place.
President Xi Jinping's Special Representative Wang Qishan Attends the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in the UK
At the invitation of the UK government, President Xi Jinping's Special Representative Vice President Wang Qishan attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
On the afternoon of September 18, 2022 local time, Wang Qishan went to the Houses of Parliament of the UK to attend the Lying-in-State of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On the morning of September 19, Wang Qishan joined the other countries’ heads of states, members of royal families, and representatives of governments present the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.
Wang Qishan expressed to the UK side, at this moment of the national mourning in the UK over the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, President Xi Jinping deputed me as his special representative to attend the funeral of The Queen in London. This has fully demonstrated the friendly feelings of President Xi Jinping, and the Chinese government and people to the British royal family, government and people. Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She witnessed the changes of the times, embodied the national spirit and cohesiveness of the country and has been profoundly loved by the British people. She made important contributions to the development of China-UK relations. I therefore convey the mourning from President Xi Jinping, and the Chinese government and people to King Charles III over the passing of The Queen, and the deepest condolences to the British royal family, government and people.
King Charles III sent a verbal message to the Chinese side. He expressed his gratitude and welcome to Vice President Wang Qishan attending the funeral of The Queen as President Xi Jinping's Special Representative. The British royal family cherishes very much the friendship with the Chinese leaders, attaches importance to the development of UK-China relations, and hopes to continue the cooperation with China in the future on sustainable development and other fields.
Deputy Prime Minister Thérèse Coffey, on behalf of the British government, thanked Wang Qishan for making the trip for the funeral of The Queen. Her Majesty The Queen had always attached importance to UK-China relations. The new government of the UK is pressing ahead with its work, and hopes to work with China to further strengthen cooperation in economy and trade, environmental protection, climate change, multilateral affairs and other fields.
http://eu.china-mission.gov.cn/eng/mhs/202209/t20220921_10768847.htm
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Here Are the World Leaders Who Are Not Attending the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
Aparade of world leaders from all corners of the world is descending on London Monday to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Sept. 8 at the age of 96.
Approximately 500 heads of state, royals, and other foreign dignitaries have been invited to the state funeral, according to the Associated Press. Those gathering at Westminster Abbey to lay the Queen to rest include President Joe Biden and representatives from across the Commonwealth, including Australia’s leader Anthony Albanese, who provided transport for several Pacific leaders to attend. Hundreds of U.K. politicians, military veterans and British charity workers are also attending.
But not everyone made the guest list. The leaders of several countries were not invited, while others are choosing not to go.
Read More: Watch Live: Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral
Diplomatic relations and public opinion are playing a role in the exclusion of some figures, though cost is also factor, as the Royal Family doesn’t want to be seen to be lavish, according to Cindy McCreery, a senior lecturer in history at the University of Sydney who specializes in monarchy and colonialism.
In August, the skyrocketing cost of food pushed shop price inflation to its highest level since 2005. On Friday, the pound hit a 37-year low against the U.S. dollar amid economic woes. The British government has not yet disclosed the bill for the funeral, but it is expected to cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
Capacity is another constraint. McCreery adds that space in Westminster Abbey is limited to about 2,000 people. Besides family members and U.K. dignitaries, there is pressure to ensure people awarded U.K honors are able to attend, along with friends and employees of the Queen. “Before we consider who didn’t make the cut, we have to remember that the priority is to ensure that deserving people did.” For this reason, former U.S. presidents, including Donald Trump and Barack Obama, were invited to an alternative memorial service to take place on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
Several countries have not been invited to the Queen’s funeral
Representatives from Russia and Belarus were not invited to the Queen’s funeral over the invasion of Ukraine, so Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will not be present. Russia’s foreign ministry criticized his missing invitation.
“We regard this attempt to use a national tragedy, which has touched the hearts of millions of people across the world, for geopolitical goals and to settle scores with our country as deeply immoral,” it said in a Sept. 15 press release. It added that London was “making divisive statements in furtherance of its opportunistic aims.”
Read More: Queen Elizabeth’s Passing Could Push Some Countries to Alter Their Ties to the British Monarchy
Myanmar’s leaders were also not invited, according to Reuters. The Southeast Asian nation’s military staged a coup in 2021, overthrowing the democratically-elected government and overseeing a violent crackdown on dissenters.
The BBC says North Korea, Iran and Nicaragua have been asked to send ambassadors but representatives from Syria, Venezuela, and Afghanistan didn’t get an invite. McCreery points out that the U.K. doesn’t have full diplomatic relations with the latter countries.
Some leaders invited to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral have declined
Others have RSVP-ed no. Chinese President Xi Jinping was invited to the funeral, according to the BBC, but he’s sending Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan instead.
There were reports that a Chinese delegation was prevented from paying respects to the Queen as she lay in state at Westminster Hall. Now Wang’s attendance has prompted criticism from a group of British Conservative members of parliament who were banned from China after the U.K. sanctioned four Chinese officials over alleged rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Xi’s priorities lie elsewhere. He made a trip last week to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where he attended a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional security and trading bloc whose other members are India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
“Being able to be with friends who will pay homage to him is much more important than engaging with a major Western democracy and with other world leaders,” says Steve Tsang, the director of SOAS China Institute at the University of London. “Xi can effectively set the tune for the SCO meetings but will have to follow British protocols at the Queen’s state funeral. He can’t see a reason to do that,” he adds.
Read More: What to Know About Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral
Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, who met the Queen in 2014 in Rome, won’t attend the ceremony. Instead, Vatican diplomat Archbishop Paul Gallagher will go, according to the Vatican.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not attending, according to the Guardian. The country’s president, Droupadi Murmu, is representing India instead. The day of the Queen’s death, before her poor condition was widely reported, Modi gave a speech in which he called for India to shed its colonial ties.
Reuters reports that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was invited but is not expected to attend. Human rights groups had criticized the invitation of Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler because of his involvement in the murder of government critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia is expected to be represented by Prince Turki bin Mohammed al Saud, a minister of state and a member of the cabinet, according to Reuters.
https://time.com/6214541/queen-elizabeth-ii-funeral-leaders-not-attending/
