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King Charles III will host a reception for hundreds of leaders and dignitaries from different countries at Buckingham Palace today, ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral scheduled for Monday.
Many dignitaries, including US President Joe Biden and his wife, gave a farewell look at her coffin in London, while mourners continued to hail for the last hours.
Tens of thousands of people are still queuing to pass the late Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall, despite warnings of a long waiting period.
Camilla, wife of King Charles, will pay tribute to the late queen in a televised address later.
About 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries flock to the gathering, the first of its kind in London in decades.
The US President and his wife, Jill, attended the reception at Buckingham Palace.
Among those seen entering the palace were Irish President Michael D Higgins, British Prime Minister Liz Truss, French President Emmanuel Macron, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Also in attendance were Emperor Naruhito of Japan, King Philip VI of Spain, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
A minute of silence was held at 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) in honor of the late Queen.
Most of the guests wore black for the event.
Monday’s state funeral is expected to be one of the largest gatherings of royals and politicians the UK has hosted in decades.
photo released, Getty Images
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last visited the UK in 2018, when he met the Queen at Buckingham Palace
For many leaders, this will be their only chance to collectively meet and engage in some diplomatic conversation.
But the call of some leaders has drawn criticism, such as that of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Mohammed bin Salman is not expected to participate in the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, according to a source in the British Foreign Office.
The Archyde.com news agency quoted the source as saying that this amendment came from the Saudi side.
Bin Salman is accused of ordering the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey in 2018, an accusation denied by the crown prince and his government.
Khashoggi’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, said he should not be allowed to attend the event and that it was a disgrace to the queen’s memory.
Among the other calls that sparked criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s, because of accusations of crimes once morest humanity once morest China.
But President Xi will not attend the funeral. Instead, Beijing will be represented by Vice President Wang Qishan.
Representatives from Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan were not invited.
As for Iran, North Korea and Nicaragua, they were asked to participate at the level of ambassadors rather than heads of state.
