List of World Leaders Banned from Attending Queen Elizabeth II's Funeral
On Monday, September 19, hundreds of foreign royals and leaders attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London.
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Most countries have had their head of state and one guest invited to the funeral.
Source: Getty Images
Nigeria's Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was among the world leaders expected to grace the historic event which took place at Westminster Abbey.
However, three countries and their leaders are reportedly barred from attending Her Majesty's funeral in London on Monday, according to Daily Express.
- Russia (Vladimir Putin)
- Belarus (Alexander Lukashenko)
- Myanmar (Myint Swe)
- Syria (Bashar al-Assad)
- Venezuela (Nicolas Maduro)
- Afghanistan (Hibatullah Akhundzada)
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The listed countries, the UK Independent also stated, have been told not to attend the funeral. Also, Iran will only be represented at the occasion on an ambassadorial level.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is said to have sour relations with the United Kingdom.
Possible reasons why the countries were not invited
Putin's decision to invade Ukraine in February may have been the major reason why he was not invited to the funeral.
Also, Military chiefs in Myanmar have been reportedly accused by the United Nations of "depraved" acts of violence against opposition democracy activists.
Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko was reportedly snubbed due to his alliance with Russian president Putin.
UK govt denies barring Zimbabwe president from Queen’s funeral
Meanwhile, the British Embassy in Harare has said a letter purportedly sent by Buckingham Palace barring President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe from attending the Queen’s funeral is fake.
The embassy made this known through its Twitter handle, saying:
“President Mnangagwa has been invited to attend the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on Monday."
“The letter below is fake,” the embassy added attaching a copy of the letter making the rounds on social media.
Queen Elizabeth II's funeral: African leaders arriving on buses to Buckingham Palace sparks controversy
In a related matter, Briefly News also reported Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral has been one of the most talked about events throughout the world.
However, the late monarch’s memorial service has been trending on social media for all the wrong reasons. Kenya’s President William Ruto shared a photo of himself along with other leaders from African countries seated on a bus headed to Buckingham Palace.
The controversy began brewing when United States President Joe Biden was seen driving in his private vehicle.
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Source: Legit.ng
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Bianca Lalbahadur Bianca Lalbahadur is a current affairs journalist at Briefly News. With a knack for writing hard-hitting content, she is dedicated to being the eyes and ears of South Africans. As a young and vibrant journalist, Bianca is passionate about providing quality and factual stories that impact citizens. She graduated from the Independent Institute of Education in 2017 and has worked at several award-winning Caxton associated community newspapers.
