A quarter of places on the 2,000-strong guest list for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey have been reserved for foreign dignitaries.
Nations which have diplomatic ties with the UK have been invited to send their heads of state, but a handful has been excluded.
Syria, Venezuela, Russia, Belarus, Myanmar and Afghanistan ― ruled by the Taliban — failed to make the cut for invitations to the church service to bid farewell to Britain’s longest-serving monarch. North Korea and Nicaragua have been invited at only an ambassadorial level, joining Iran in that category.
US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have confirmed they will attend the ceremony on Monday. Ireland’s Taoiseach, or prime minister, Micheal Martin and President Michael D Higgins have done likewise.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau have also signalled they will travel to London for the event, which is set to be attended by about 500 foreign dignitaries.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said there would not be formal bilateral meetings.
“But we will have a significant number of world leaders, heads of state in the country. She will be meeting a small proportion of those at the weekend,” the spokesman said.
“These will be opportunities to discuss memories of Her Majesty, but in some instances it will be the first time they’ve met since she became prime minister.”
Among the crowds paying their respects to the queen were twins Nicole and Nathalie Nojszewski, who arrived in London from Canada on the day she died.
“We wanted to come to Buckingham Palace to pay our respects,” Nicole, 23, said. “She was such a dignified lady. A lot of people still looked up to her with Canada being in the Commonwealth.”
Also making the trip was Cheryl Discher, 73, on holiday from Austin, Texas, who visited Buckingham Palace. “I just happened to be here in this time of history,” Ms Discher said. “So, I think it’s fitting and right that I pay respect for the queen who has led her country for 70 years.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said she will attend the service, which will be the UK’s first state funeral since former prime minister Sir Winston Churchill's in 1965. Princess Diana, who died in 1997, and the queen mother, who died in 2002, were given ceremonial funerals.
Other world leaders who have confirmed their attendance include New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, Australia's Governor-General David Hurley, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
A string of foreign royals who have confirmed their attendance include King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain and King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. Representatives from the Swedish, Danish and Monegasque royal families are also expected to be there.
The Japanese government confirmed Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will travel for the funeral. Traditionally, Japanese emperors stay away from funerals because of a cultural belief based in the Shinto religion that considers death impure. As such, the decision to attend the queen’s funeral underscores its importance and the deep bond between the countries' royal families.
President Biden has reportedly been granted an exception to use his armoured vehicle known as 'The Beast' to travel to the Abbey, while most other foreign leaders will have to use coaches. On security grounds, several others, including President Macron, President Isaac Herzog of Israel and Emperor Naruhito, are likely to be allowed to use their own transportation.
Ms Ardern is expected to be joined on the nearly 24-hour flight by a delegation including Maori King Kiingi Tuheitia.
The abbey will be at full capacity so most nations are allowed to send only two representatives. But the Commonwealth countries which retain the monarch as the head of state have been granted extra representation.
The 14 realms — which include Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Papua New Guinea ― can send prime ministers plus a guest, governors general plus a guest and the high commissioner. They are also allowed to bring 10 ordinary citizens.
Australia’s prime minister Mr Albanese has said his country’s representatives had been invited by Buckingham Palace for their “extraordinary contributions to their communities”.
All holders of the Victoria Cross or George Cross will be able to attend the funeral.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is expected to hold a reception for world leaders at Church House in Westminster on Monday.
King Charles III will lead his family in mourning the loss of his mother at the funeral with his siblings — Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward ― by his side.
Prince William and Prince Harry and their respective wives Kate, Princess of Wales and Meghan, will also be given prominent positions.
Queen Consort Camilla, Sophie Wessex, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, will also be present.
Crowds visit the queen lying in state at Westminster Hall in London — in pictures
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
if you go
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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