Guests began trickling in within minutes of the end of the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall, with the last member of the public passing through at around 6.30am. Mr Biden arrived in his limousine, with his wife Jill, before being greeted by the dean of Westminster Abbey as they entered the church. Mr Biden was to sit 14 rows back in the south aisle behind the Polish leader and in front of the Czech Republic. First Lady Jill Biden was to sit next to the Swiss delegation. Also present are Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako – the first time the couple have left the country since the start of the pandemic. Traditionally the Japanese Emperor stays away from funerals except for his own parents due to cultural belief in the Shinto religions which view death as impure. Among the first notables to join the church were Michael and Carole Middleton, two of Prince George’s grandparents, as well as several members of the government and other senior politicians, including Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer and the mayor of London Sadiq Khan. One of the first royals to arrive was Moroccan Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, who at age 19 represents his father, King Mohammed VI. Image: Michael D Higgins at the Queen’s funeral Irish President Michael Higgins, EU Council President Charles Michel and Croatian President Moran Milanovic are also there. Soon after, three coaches pulled up outside Westminster Abbey and dozens of dignitaries from countries around the world disembarked and made their way to the church as a bell tolled every minute to mark 96 years of the Queen’s life. Around the same time, a convoy of black Range Rovers, flanked by police, drove through central London. Image: Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey. Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton. September 19, 2022. Geoff Pugh/Pool via REUTERS Officials arriving for the Queen’s funeral – live updates Some of the foreign dignitaries have not yet arrived and are due to arrive at the Abbey from the Royal Chelsea Hospital, where they started gathering from around 7.30am before heading to the funeral. Another early arrival for the service was Tom Parker Bowles, the Queen Consort’s son. Among the guests expected to attend the service are US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and about 500 others from nearly 200 countries and territories. Image: Tom Parker Bowles at the Queen’s funeral They include almost 100 presidents and heads of government, and more than 20 royals, according to a Foreign and Commonwealth Office source. The only countries not invited were Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela or Afghanistan. Iran, North Korea and Nicaragua are to be represented at the ambassadorial level, but China’s Vice President Wang Qishan is expected to attend as President Xi Jinping’s special envoy, despite concerns over China’s treatment of the Uyghur people. Picture: British Labor Party leader Keir Starmer at Westminster Abbey on the day of the state funeral and burial of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, in London, Britain September 19, 2022 REUTERS/John Sibley He is expected to be among 2,000 people who will gather at Westminster Abbey to remember the late monarch. The first vehicle to cross the police cordon at the Royal Chelsea Hospital was registered to Sudan. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s military leader, was expected to attend the funeral. Soon after, diplomatic vehicles arrived from Australia, Poland, Germany, the European Commission and Italy. The first guests began to arrive at the Gothic medieval abbey shortly after 8am, with the first to enter through the east gate. In the early hours of Monday morning, officers had formed a security cordon around the Royal Hospital Chelsea, blocking roads. Image: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and his wife Saadiya Khan arrive at Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral at Westminster Abbey, London. Photo date: Monday, September 19, 2022. The Chelsea retirement home was cut off from the public by uniformed officers and security barriers. A number of dignitaries, including Presidents Macron and Biden, had earlier joined mourners to view the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall. The operation to keep dignitaries and the hundreds of thousands of members of the public in the capital safe to watch the coffin pass is one of the biggest security operations ever planned by the Metropolitan Police. It surpasses the operation for the Platinum Jubilee weekend and the London 2012 Olympics, where up to 10,000 police were on duty a day.
