President Joe Biden Arrives In London For Queen Elizabeth II Funeral, Amid Guest List Controversy
deadline.comPresident Joe Biden has arrived in London, where he will join other world leaders at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday.
The prime ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand are already in the UK for the ceremony, but the guest list for the funeral of the world’s longest-reigning monarch is proving to be controversial.
While many of the 500 names of heads of state and foreign dignitaries are as expected – French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier all due to attend – there are some names that have caused a diplomatic headache.Representatives from Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan have not been invited, while Iran, North Korea (DPRK) and Nicaragua have only been invited to send ambassadors instead of heads of state.China’s President Xi Jinping was invited, but it will be his Vice President Wang Qishan who attends in his place.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) met the Queen in 2018 and is on the guest list, despite ongoing questions into the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
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