President Droupadi Murmu to attend Queen’s funeral in London. Will Modi go? Who else is invited?

It is the end of an important chapter in world history. Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday, 19 September, will be attended by royalty, politicians from the United Kingdom, presidents and prime ministers from across the globe, and leading public figures. It is likely to be the largest gathering of world leaders in decades.

Invitations were sent out over the weekend and some 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries are expected to fly to London to bid a final farewell to the monarch. The elaborate ceremony, replete with tradition, will be held at Westminster Abbey, which can house up to 2,200 people. This is the first full state funeral that the country will host since former prime minister Winston Churchill died in 1965.

Also read: Balmoral Castle: The ‘happy place’ where Queen Elizabeth breathed her last

We take a look at the guest list and who is expected to attend.

India

President Droupadi Murmu will visit London from 17 September to 19 September to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and offer condolences on behalf of the Indian government, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi too received an invitation but there is no word yet on whether he will be attending the ceremony.

On 8 September, after the Queen’s death, in a tribute, the PM wrote that he will “never forget her warmth and kindness”.

I had memorable meetings with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during my UK visits in 2015 and 2018. I will never forget her warmth and kindness. During one of the meetings she showed me the handkerchief Mahatma Gandhi gifted her on her wedding. I will always cherish that gesture. pic.twitter.com/3aACbxhLgC

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2022

On Saturday, Modi spoke to his British counterpart Liz Truss and conveyed deep condolences to the royal family and the people of the UK on the death of the Queen.

President Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed their condolences earlier. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the British High Commission in New Delhi on Monday and India also observed a day of national mourning on Sunday.

Commonwealth countries

Leaders from across the Commonwealth, which the Queen served during her reign, will be in attendance.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe have accepted invitations.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be flying to London.

The three nations are part of the Commonwealth realm – a group of 14 countries that recognise the British monarch as their head of the state. They have announced Charles III who succeeded his mother as their king.

Other Asian nations

South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol has accepted the invitation. Japan's emperor and empress will attend the funeral instead of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Kyodo news reported, citing multiple government sources.

It is not clear if Chinese President Xi Jinping will receive an invitation or accept it, reports BBC. It is unlikely that any of the seven members of the Chinese Communist Party’s powerful standing committee would go even if an invitation is received.

“Top Chinese leaders seldom attend the funerals of overseas leaders,” Joseph Cheng, an expert on China’s foreign policy told The Australian.

In October 1986, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to visit China.

The United States

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have confirmed they will be attending the service. The White House has confirmed that Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, has not received an invite.

In a departure from tradition, former US presidents will not be invited. Buckingham Palace did not grant permission to Biden to bring a delegation along.

Former President Jimmy Carter did not get an invitation, his office said. However, there is some speculation that Barack and Michelle Obama might get private invites.

The spokespeople for Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton did not comment, according to a report in USA Today.

The other big names

French President Emmanuel Macron will be there and so will German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The controversial leaders

Brazil’s right-wing populist President Jair Bolsonaro and Turkey’s authoritarian leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be in London. Their presence could spark protests in the capital, reports Daily Mail.

The King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud will have received an invite but would be highly unlikely to attend because of his age and health. His son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the nation’s de facto leader, could head to Britain in his place, another decision that could anger the common British, the report says.

Iran, which has been slapped with sanctions over its nuclear programme, will be represented at an ambassadorial level, according to BBC.

Other royalty

The invitation has gone to members of royal families across Europe, many of whom are related to the Queen.

Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, the Netherland’s King Willem-Alexander and his wife, Queen Maxima, and former Dutch queen Princess Beatrix will be there. King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain have also accepted an invitation, as have the royal families of Norway, Sweden, and Demark, reports BBC.

The big snubs

Russia’s Vladimir Putin will not be invited because of the invasion of Ukraine. Belarus too has been snubbed for supporting the Kremlin in the war. Its president Aleksandr Lukashenko is a close ally of Putin.

Diplomatic ties between Russia and the UK have plunged since the conflict began and Putin’s spokesperson said last week that he was “not considering” attending the ceremony.

Myanmar too has not received an invitation. The UK has reduced its diplomatic ties with the nation after the February 2021 military coup. According to CNN, Myanmar has been snubbed because of the treatment meted out to Rohingyas.

With inputs from agencies

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