Presidents, princes and prime ministers from around the world are expected to arrive in London next week to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who has become the second longest-reigning monarch in history.
President Biden was among the leaders who announced their plans. “I don’t know the details yet, but I’ll go,” he told reporters after a speech in Ohio on Friday.
Many leaders from the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 countries, are expected to attend. Among those likely to make the trip are President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, who call the queen on Monday as “our sovereign, our head of state.”
Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told reporters on Friday that he would like to attend the funeral if his schedule allows. And Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, said he accepted the invitation to pay his respects.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, will also make the trip. “She means so much to so many people and on a personal note, has been an inspiration my entire life,” she said in a statement. statement. The leaders of other European countries such as Germany and Italy will also attend.
Members of the royal family of several European countries, including Belgium, Brussels and the Netherlands, have confirmed that they will be coming to pay their respects.
According to Dmitri S. Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, Russian President Putin will not be there.
According to Tass, Russia’s official news service, Peskov said at a press conference on Sunday that the Kremlin has not yet decided who will represent Russia at the ceremony.
Christina Anderson, Lynsey Chutel and Safak Timur contribution report.
