World leaders to pack Queen Elizabeth II's funeral: Who is attending and who is not
WASHINGTON — World leaders are set to descend on Westminster Abbey for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in a global display of admiration for Britain's longest-reigning monarch.
Queen Elizabeth II, who died last Thursday, was 96.
President Joe Biden, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, is among the heads of state traveling to London for next Monday's funeral, which will be packed with presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, and kings and queens from other nations.
The historic event has sparked a flurry of speculation on whom will be invited by Buckingham Palace — and who might turn it down.
Other leaders expected to attend include Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
A notable, yet unsurprising, absence will be Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian state media reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russians respected Queen Elizabeth II "for her wisdom and for her global authority" but Putin attending the funeral is not under consideration. Putin drew widespread condemnation, including sanctions from United Kingdom, for his ongoing war against Ukraine.
Some top foreign leaders will have other officials represent their nations. For example, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday that the country's foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, will represent Mexico at the funeral.
More: Will ex-presidents, including Trump and Obama, attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral? Not likely.
More: How much power did Queen Elizabeth II actually have? And will King Charles III have more or less?
Attendance by foreign leaders will be limited to one representative from each country and their partner, according to Foreign Office documents obtained by Politico.
Leaders who plan to attend, according to public statements and multiple media reports, are:
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Finland President Sauli Niinisto
French President Emmanuel Macron
German President Frank-Walker Steinmeier
Hungarian President Katalin Novák
Ireland's Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Michael Higgins
Israeli Prime Minister Isaac Herzog
Italian President Sergio Mattarella
Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness
Japanese Emperor Naruhito
Latvian President President Egils Levits
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda
Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima
New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Poland's President Andrzej Duda
Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol
Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia Ortiz (Juan Carlos, Spain's former king, will also attend, according to Spanish daily elDiario.es.)
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesingh
Tonga King George Tupou VI
Trinidad and Tobago President Paula-Mae Weekes
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
U.S. President Joe Biden
Members of royal families families from Norway, Denmark and Sweden will also attend the funeral, the Daily Guardian reported. Other leaders set to attend, according to Reuters, are Alexander Van der Bellen, president of Austria; Mohammad Shtayyeh, prime minister of Palestine; and European Council President Charles Michel.
Contributing: Associated Press
Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.
