Queen Elizabeth II, left for her heavenly abode at the age of 96 on September 8. The state funeral organized for the longest ruling monarch is attended by world leaders, politicians, public figures, royal families, and almost 500 dignitaries from all over the globe. However, there were no invitations for around 6 countries including Russia.
The Cavalry Last Post is sounded by the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry before the Nation fell silent in Remembrance of Her Majesty The Queen. pic.twitter.com/ap5ccCiQW2
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 19, 2022
The list of countries not invited to the Queen’s funeral, seen as a major political and diplomatic event is as follows:
Russia: Russian representatives will not be seen during the Queen's funeral. The reason behind the sour step is Ukraine’s invasion by Russia. Responding to the same, Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman said, "We see this British attempt to use the national tragedy, which has touched the hearts of millions of people around the world, for geopolitical purposes to settle scores with our country... as deeply immoral," and "this is particularly blasphemous towards Elizabeth II's memory."
Despite this fact, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the newly announced King Charles III on his ascension to the throne.
Belarus: Next to Russia, Belarus also did not receive an invitation to the state funeral. This is due to the close relationship between Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Belarus being a close ally had allegedly supported Russia in the conflict with Ukraine.
Myanmar: The United Kingdom never had formal diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian country. The decision was taken on the basis of two past events including Myanmar's support towards Moscow and the removal of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government removal by the military coup.
Syria: Syria not being on the guest list of the State Funeral event is quite obvious. After the emergence of the Syrian Revolution in 2011, the UK broke all its political and diplomatic ties with Syria. On top, the UK government has also cut all trade tariffs on Syria, attracting more controversies.
Venezuela: The United Kingdom and Venezuela share bilateral relations. Reports say the sourness between the two exists since 1821 when "British Legions" better known as British soldiers defended the Second Republic of Venezuela against Spanish royalists in the Venezuelan War of Independence.
Also, the latest encounter between the two occurred on 14 May 2020, when the Central Bank of Venezuela filed legal action against the Bank of England, demanding €930m worth of gold under United Nations Development Programme to buy healthcare equipment, medicine, and food for the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela.
Afghanistan: The last country to not receive invites to Queen’s funeral is Afghanistan. It is believed that the reason behind this, is the Taliban. Reports say the UK does not recognize the Taliban government and no longer has an embassy in the country since the evacuation in August, the previous year.
Whereas, countries like North Korea, Taiwan, and Nicaragua have been invited "only at ambassadorial level. This means that only these country's ambassadors will be allowed to be part of the last journey of her majesty. Furthermore, China's Vice President Wang Qishan will attend the funeral. While even after being invited, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky won’t be able to attend the event, due to the ongoing conflict.
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