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President Droupadi Murmu left for London on Saturday to attend the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and offer condolences on behalf of India.
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will also attend the funeral. All heads of state visiting London for Queen Elizabeth's funeral have been invited to attend the lying-in-state in Westminster Hall ahead of Monday's state funeral and to sign a book of condolences at Lancaster House. However, opening a fresh diplomatic rift with Beijing, a Chinese government delegation has been refused permission by the House of Commons authorities to attend the queen's lying-in-state in Westminster Hall, London, Politico reported citing a senior parliamentary figure familiar with the matter. People of the UK will relive the glorious life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II at her state funeral on Monday. For the funeral, many guests from political heads of countries to distinct royal family members and dignitaries from across the globe will fly to the UK. Although the official guest list hasn't been released yet, New York Post has shared the names of a few countries that didn't make the cut. They are - Russia, Belarus, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria and Venezuela. According to the online publication, Russian President Vladimir Putin wished King Charles III on his accession recently, however, the country was still snubbed by the UK as they reportedly didn't get an invite for the funeral. It's also interesting to note here that North Korea, Iran, and Nicaragua were sent invites however those were only sent out to their ambassadorial representatives and not the head of state. Another news that recently made rounds was that former US President Donald Trump would also be in attendance however, the UK government, according to New York Post, has squashed the rumour saying that only the sitting US President and his wife will be attending. New York Post further reports that 750,000 people will be present at the funeral.More than USD 7 million (around INR 59 crores) will be shelled to beef up the security for the Queen's funeral on September 19. According to New York Post, protecting Queen Elizabeth's funeral will be the most expensive single-day operation in UK history, costing over USD 7.5 million.To secure the unprecedented number of foreign leaders, who are expected at the funeral on Monday, the British Mi5 and Mi6 intelligence agencies, London's Metropolitan Police, and the Secret Service will work together. "This is the biggest policing operation that the United Kingdom policing has ever undertaken," New York Post quoted Simon Morgan, a former Royal security officer, as saying. (ANI)
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