But while Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako were happy with the communal transport, some other world leaders were not, especially since President Biden and a select few others will arrive in their own armored vehicles. “Everyone would rather have their own car,” said an exhausted British government official, one of hundreds working at the Queen’s funeral. The rest of the most famous woman in the world has turned into a gigantic diplomatic challenge. Members of the 23 royal families will sit in the front rows of Westminster Abbey, ahead of President Biden and about 90 other presidents and prime ministers, as protocol dictates. Leaders of nearly 200 countries and territories flying into London were strongly encouraged to take commercial flights because of the complexity of scheduling landing slots around the same time at airports still understaffed due to the coronavirus pandemic. But many private jets come anyway. Fierce negotiations take place behind the scenes in an area called ‘the shed’ at the UK Foreign Office. Hundreds of people are working on the requests of the nearly 500 foreign dignitaries who will attend the funeral. There have already been diplomatic disputes. Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, has blocked a Chinese delegation from attending this week’s public viewing of the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall. Hoyle cited China’s decision to refuse to allow some British politicians to travel to China because they criticized Beijing’s treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded sharply: “As the host, the British side should observe diplomatic etiquette and hospitality.” Vice President Wang Qishan leads the Chinese delegation. President Xi Jinping was invited but declined. Almost every country or region with diplomatic relations with Britain was invited. Some did not make the list, including Russia, Belarus and Myanmar, because of the war in Ukraine and human rights abuses. Some nations, including Iran, North Korea and Nicaragua, were invited to send an ambassador, but not their head of state. The invitation includes a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III on Sunday evening and another reception immediately after the funeral. Olena Zelenska, wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, will attend, but her husband is not expected. British officials said they were not sure if Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended. US intelligence officials said MBS, as he is known, was behind the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a contributing writer for the Washington Post. Khashoggi’s fiancee said his presence would be a “stain” on the Queen’s memory. Queen Elizabeth II had personally met many of those who would attend her funeral. He traveled to more than 100 countries. In many cases he met several generations of leaders. Many guests will be in their 80s and even 90s and how to seat them quickly and comfortably has also been extensively planned. For example, come Spain’s King Felipe VI, 54, and Queen Letizia, 50. So did the king’s parents, former King Juan Carlos I, 84, and his wife, former Queen Sofia, 83, who also knew Elizabeth. VIP guests have made a steady stream of special requests. Some asked to bring their doctor, some a personal assistant. Some have requested a private room where they can rest. “You can’t just give a no, but nine times out of ten it’s a no,” the official said. “But we want everyone to leave with a good impression.” One exception: interpreters. China’s Vice President Wang, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and a few others asked for an interpreter because they don’t speak English. Fewer than ten of these requests were granted, but only for the receptions — not for the funeral itself, where space will be very limited. Having so many world leaders in one place gives them rare opportunities to speak without aides and note takers, said Capricia Marshall, former chief of protocol for the United States in the Obama administration. “They have no one to talk to but each other, and they take advantage of that,” Marshall said. Usually countries send junior officials to funerals and other events, Marshall said. Karen Pearce, Britain’s ambassador to the United States, said she believes Biden is the first US president to attend a British state funeral. The last state funeral was held in 1965 for Winston Churchill, and Lyndon B. Johnson was hospitalized at that time. Former British ambassador to the United States Peter Westmacott noted that there is always the possibility of things going badly between leaders who have strong personal or national differences. But, he said, the Queen’s death had sparked “an outburst of politeness”. He cited Macron, the French president who is at odds with Britain over Brexit, the UK’s withdrawal from Europe and personal differences with new Prime Minister Liz Truss and her predecessor, Boris Johnson. “He’s very mad about Liz Truss and Boris Johnson,” Westmacott said. “But look at the nice things he says about the Queen and the relationship between Britain and France.” In the end, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused to come after being told it couldn’t be his own presidential car — an exception to the rules granted only to Biden, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and a few others. “This call was made based on safety concerns. It’s not about special relationships or politics,” the British official said. When the British refused Erdogan’s request, he decided to send his foreign minister in his place. For many Brits, the idea of pampered princesses and world leaders hopping on a bus is just fun. “All the world leaders are on a field trip,” British comedian Jimmy Carr said when asked for his thoughts by the Washington Post. “And you know who’s really in charge? For these 45 minutes, the world leader is the bus driver. “My bus, my rules! Sit in the back. North Korea, get along with South Korea. Sit down! China, what are you doing back? Sit down!’” Carr agreed with protocol experts that bus time presented opportunities. “I think more could be done on that bus in 40 minutes than has been done at the UN in the last 40 years. Maybe Israel and Palestine sit next to each other on the bus and go, “You know what, we have a lot in common. What did you bring for lunch, Palestine? Hummus? Well, I have some pies. Let’s do it.’” Michael Birnbaum in Washington and Lily Kuo in Taipei contributed to this report.
