Invites to the Queen’s state funeral have not been sent to Russia, Belarus or Myanmar while Iran will only be represented at an ambassadorial level, Whitehall sources have said. The event will see around 500 dignitaries from around the world descend on London to pay their last respects to the long-reigning monarch.
They will join members of the royal family and UK prime minister past and present at Westminster Abbey – the historic church which can hold around 2,000 people – at 11am next Monday. “This is the biggest international event we have hosted in decades,” a Whitehall source said.
The source compared the logistical task to organising “hundreds of state visits” within a matter of days. Normally, there might only be two or three a year. It presents a huge logistical, diplomatic and security challenge, with practice runs taking place in the dead of night.
