There will be very few exceptions, such as for US President Joe Biden and Israeli President Izchak Herzog, the BBC reported. The online portal “Politico” wrote on Friday that top guests such as the kings of Belgium, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands, but also heads of state and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, would travel by luxury bus from a secret meeting point in the west of the British capital drove to Westminster Abbey. The Japanese Emperor and his wife Empress Masako, whose visit is considered a special honor, are also expected to board a bus. However, there is considerable criticism against the requirement, according to “Politico”.
According to the BBC, the organizers defended the scheme. “It’s not about vehicles. It’s about making sure the right people are in the right place at the right time,” the broadcaster quoted a British government official as saying. “Do the math, they just can’t come in separate cars.”
300 employees withdrawn from ministries and authorities
According to the BBC, around 300 government employees, who have been withdrawn from various ministries and agencies, are busy around the clock preparing for the state ceremony on Monday.
Heads of state and government may only bring one other person, larger delegations are reserved for members of the Commonwealth of Nations. That is why it is not expected that former US Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump will arrive. On Sunday, King Charles III. a reception at Buckingham Palace, which will also be attended by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.
In addition, heads of state and government should be able to see the Queen’s closed coffin, which will be laid out in Westminster Hall in the British Parliament until early Monday morning. Parliament President Lindsay Hoyle is said to have excluded the Chinese delegation. The reason for this is Chinese sanctions against several British parliamentarians after Great Britain initially imposed punitive measures against those responsible for the oppression of the Muslim Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region. Hoyle has domiciliary rights on Parliament grounds.
Source: Nachrichten
