Who’s who in Queen’s funeral congregation at Westminster Abbey – including powerful world leaders & foreign royals
THE world came together to mourn the Queen today – with leaders from across the globe gathering at Westminster Abbey for Her Majesty’s funeral.
From shortly after 8am, when the doors opened, a steady stream of dignitaries, politicians and military chiefs filed solemnly into the Abbey for the state funeral.
Two thousand people, from American President Joe Biden to France’s Emmanuel Macron, travelled to London this morning to mourn with the Royal Family after the tragic death of the Queen at the age of 96.
Meanwhile outside, thousands of mourners gathered in the capital to be a part of the historic day, with so many people arriving that the viewing areas were closed by London’s City Hall.
Members of the Royal Family led by King Charles arrived at Westminster Abbey after a procession from Westminster Hall.
Among those present in the Abbey were the Prince and Princess of Wales as well as The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
It comes as…
- Solemn King Charles lead the Royal Family in an emotional procession behind the Queen’s coffin
- Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince George, 9, arrived at Westminster Abbey with mum Kate
- Meghan joined the Royals to grieve the Queen
- Prince Andrew wore a suit after being banned from his military uniform
Any differences with Prince William were put aside as Harry walked in with his brother.
Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were of course present at the service for their mother.
The King and the Queen Consort sat in the ornate Canada Club chairs, with Camilla next to the Princess Royal, then Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, then the Duke of York and then the Earl and Countess of Wessex in the front row of the south lantern.
Across the aisle were the Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and then Peter Phillips and Zara and Mike Tindall.
Directly behind the King was the Duke of Sussex with the Duchess of Sussex behind Camilla. Meghan was sat next to Princess Beatrice.
Seen in the third row behind them were Samuel Chatto, Arthur Chatto, Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto.
Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton – the parents of the Princess of Wales – were also part of the service,
Tom Parker Bowles, the son of Camilla, the Queen Consort, was also spotted going inside, alongside other members of their family.
Also attending Britain’s first state funeral for six decades was PM Liz Truss, along with a host of former Prime Ministers and current politicians.
All six living former PMs were in attendance for the prestigious service.
Boris Johnson arrived with wife Carrie shortly after David Cameron was seen with his wife Samantha.
While former Brit PMs Gordon Brown and Tony Blair were also seen in sharp black suits along with their spouses.
Theresa May was also present with husband Philip and donned a black hat in the Queen’s honour while 79-year-old John Major was accompanied by spouse Norma.
They watched on as current Prime Minister Liz Truss – who arrived just before 10.30am with husband Hugh – read the second lesson to mourners.
In what has been described as “the biggest international event” the UK has hosted in decades, famous faces from around the world also arrived to pay their respects to the Queen.
More than 100 hundred heads of government were present with US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden amongst the invitees.
The US President sat 14 rows back from the Royals behind the Polish leader Andrzej Duda while The First Lady was seated next to Switzerland.
French President Emmanuel Macron also attended and moved slowly through the north lantern towards his seat with his wife Brigitte.
He nodded and shared a few words with an usher as the line of dignitaries slowed to a stop as people were shown to their places.
Other foreign heads of government who were there included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
While China sent its vice-president, Wang Qishan, at the UK government’s invitation.
Irish President Michael D Higgins and Israel’s President Isaac Herzog were also present at the historic occasion.
Leaders also came from other states in the 56-country Commonwealth, of which Queen Elizabeth was the symbolic figurehead.
They included the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, and the New Zealand PM, Jacinda Ardern.
South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa also attended followed by Kenya’s William Ruto.
They were joined by the Sri Lankan president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the Fijian PM, Frank Bainimarama.
From further afield, Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended the ceremony – making their first overseas trip since assuming the throne in 2019.
They were joined by King Jigme & Queen Jetsun of Bhutan and the Sultan of Brunei.
European royalty was also present in the form of King Harald V of Norway, Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Dutch King Willem-Alexander, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Philippe, King of the Belgians.
Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who scrapped a series of events marking her 50th jubilee after the death of her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, also came.
Spain’s King Felipe VI who knew the Queen as “dear Aunt Lilibet” attended along with his wife Queen Letizia.
Politicians were seen stepping out just as the stewards put the finishing touches to the sand outside where the gun carriage drew to a halt.
Labour leader Keir Starmer was among a host of MPs who arrived shortly after 9am.
While Chancellor of the Duchy and Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi was one of the first who arrived.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Business secretary, was also snapped sporting a black suit and a top hat while Cop26 President Alok Sharma walked through the doors a few minutes later.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was pictured walking through the doors with his wife Saadiya just after 9.30am.
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, James Cleverly, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Tory former leader Lord Hague were among a host of senior political figures.
And Education Secretary Kit Malthouse was also seen arriving at the ceremony for Her Majesty,
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford was also present at the Abbey, wearing a kilt.
A long-serving nurse, Ms O’Neill was recognised for her efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Bhanot, from Chigwell in Essex, helped deliver 1,200 free meals during the pandemic.
Both are attending the funeral after being named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
The Queen’s state funeral saw one of the biggest gatherings of famous faces hosted in the UK for decades.
A long motorcade of diplomatic and police vehicles earlier sped down Lower Sloane Street towards the Royal Hospital, taking the other world leaders to Westminster Abbey.
A Danish and Spanish contingent arrived in Chelsea in a convoy at 9.45am.
The Spanish royals were spotted waving as they passed by the small crowd of members of the public and media gathered on the pavement.
Diplomatic cars belonging to Jordan and Sweden drove through the police cordon in Chelsea at 9.30am.
A Qatari vehicle bearing the national flag on the bonnet arrived earlier followed closely by Singapore and Norwegian cars.
The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and President Halimah Yacob of Singapore are among invitees.
While a motor with Polish number plates has arrived at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea as world leaders gathered before travelling travelling to Westminster Abbey.
Polish President Andrzej Duda is scheduled to attend with his wife, Agata.
And a car registered to the Irish embassy was among a group of diplomatic cars to arrive in Chelsea with a police motorbike escort.
The Italian president Sergio Mattarella was among the last to arrive in Chelsea in a chauffeur-driven Maserati with the number plate ITA 1.
The day of the Queen’s funeral marks the climax of what is being regarded as the biggest security operation the UK has ever seen.
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The Queen’s final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel.
It is an annex to the main chapel where her mother and father were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.
