Some world leaders have not been invited to pay their respects to the Queen at her funeral, Whitehall sources say. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been blacklisted, along with Kremlin officials, following the brutal invasion of Ukraine. Belarus and Myanmar are also not welcome at the ceremony on Monday, it is believed. Meanwhile, Iran will be “represented only at ambassadorial level.” Around 500 dignitaries from around the world will join at least 1,500 other guests to bid Her Majesty a final farewell at Westminster Abbey. “This is the biggest international event we have hosted in decades,” the government spokesman said. They compared the logistical task to organizing “hundreds of state visits” in a few days, when normally there might only be two or three a year. Queen Elizabeth II and President Vladimir Putin leave Buckingham Palace in London on June 27, 2003 (Image: AFP via Getty Images) To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Due to limited space, leaders are only allowed to have their spouses on duty, it is believed. It comes after Putin’s letter to King Charles wishing him “courage and perseverance in the face of this heavy, irreparable loss”. Reports say the foreign heads of state will all take an escorted coach to Westminster Abbey that day. They have been told not to fly private jets into the UK and will not be able to use helicopters once they are here. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern are expected to travel. Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron are also likely to make appearances. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
