Liz Truss is expected to meet US President Joe Biden for one-to-one talks in private ahead of the Queen's funeral in London next week. The new Prime Minister may also meet other world leaders as they jet in over the weekend for the state funeral on Monday morning.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are set to head to the UK ahead of the service in Westminster Abbey, the Times reports.
Downing Street and the Foreign Office had been keen to stress that the event would not be used as a diplomatic exercise, despite the presence of more than 100 heads of state in the capital to pay their respects. The talks will primarily be about paying their respects and will be low-key, the newspaper said, citing a source.
Queen Elizabeth's funeral will take place in London on September 19, and a host of world leaders, royalty and other dignitaries have already said they will attend. It comes as thousands of mourners are continuing to join the miles-long queue to pay their respects to the Queen as she lies in state at Westminster Hall.
Many have queued overnight for the chance to file past the monarch's coffin after it was handed to the care of the nation on Wednesday afternoon. The coffin, which sits on a catafalque and is draped with a Royal Standard, continues to be guarded at all hours by units from the Sovereign's Bodyguard, the Household Division or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London.
One of the guards suddenly collapsed overnight, with nearby officials quickly rushing to his aid after he appeared to faint. The largely black-clad crowd were solemn and pensive as they flowed into the ancient hall where chandeliers and spotlights illuminated the scene beneath the medieval timber roof.
As hundreds of ordinary people of all ages filed past the coffin of the long-reigning monarch, many wiped their eyes with tissues. Some bowed, some curtsied and some simply took a moment to look at the extraordinary scene. Former PM Theresa May and her husband Philip were among those paying their respects to the Queen at Westminster Hall.
What is a state funeral?
A state funeral is a rare honour and is mostly reserved for the sovereign. The only monarch not to be given a state funeral in the last 295 years was Edward VIII, who abdicated.
State funerals have, on rare occasions, been held for distinguished figures including Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill.
The last state funeral in the UK was Churchill's in 1965. The last state funeral for a sovereign was for the Queen's father, George VI, in 1952.
Who pays?
State funerals are publicly funded and are the responsibility of the Earl Marshal and the College of Arms. These large-scale events observe strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance.
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