GUWAHATI: Britain's longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, will be laid to rest at Windsor Castle alongside her husband Prince Phillip, on September 19.
Her funeral, at Westminster Abbey, will mark the first state funeral in Britain since former UK prime minister Sir Winston Churchill's in 1965.
It is worth mentioning that, the Queen's funeral is the first state funeral in the UK since Winston Churchill's in 1965. A state funeral conveys that the UK Government has officially declared the day of the funeral as a bank holiday.
The funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey – the same church that hosted the wedding of Prince Williams and Kate Middleton.
Many guests ranging from political heads of countries to distinct royal family members and dignitaries from across the globe will be attending the funeral
The New York Times reported on Thursday that Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Venezuela, Syria and Afghanistan will not be receiving any invitation to the royal funeral. The step was taken considering the current political climate and the relationship that the UK shares with these nations.
The United Kingdom, along with other western countries, criticized Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine and it came as no surprise that President Vladimir Putin did not receive an invite to the funeral. Belarus was also excluded from the guest list considering their alliance with Russia.
When it comes to Syria and Venezuela, the UK has no diplomatic relations with both these nations while Afghanistan and Syria were excluded after considering current political situations.
Additionally, North Korea, Nicaragua and Iran were sent invitations but only on the ambassadorial level which conveys that the head of the states was not invited.
Several world leaders have already confirmed their attendance at the royal funeral with United States President Joe Biden, Canada's Justin Trudeau and France's Emmanuel Macron all traveling to the UK.
Also watch: