Liz Truss’s government will host the largest gathering of foreign leaders and dignitaries in London for decades, as they arrive in the capital for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday. Those set to be in attendance include US president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, France’s president Emmanuel Macron and India’s president Droupadi Murmu.
Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro, Italy’s president Sergio Mattarella and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, president of Germany, will also be in the pews. The service, which will conclude the 10-day national mourning period, will take place at Westminster Abbey in the heart of the capital and be attended by roughly 2,000 people. The presence of heads of state, representatives of overseas governments, foreign royal families and governors-general will pose huge organisational and security questions.