London is now very busy. More than three quarters of a million people are expected to file past the Queen lying-in-state in the Palace of Westminster. After several pauses, entry to the queue has resumed. It now stretches for five miles and the maximum waiting time is estimated to be 16 hours. But next comes the funeral. Royalty, presidents, current and former prime ministers, diplomats and dignitaries are poised to descend on the capital for the ceremony on Monday 19 September at Westminster Abbey, which can hold around 2,000 people. So who’s coming?
There was uncertainty over whether the US president Joe Biden would attend the funeral. He hasn’t come on a state visit to the UK since he entered office. But when asked by reporters last Friday (9 September), he replied: “Yes. I don’t know what the details are yet but I will be going.” The White House has confirmed that the president and First Lady Jill Biden will be attending, but they will not be travelling by bus. It has also been confirmed that former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama will not be attending.
Content from our partners
