London is preparing for the final farewell to the Queen Elizabeth II and for the occasion Members of all European and non-European royal families are also expected in the city. The state funeral takes place Monday 19 September in Westminster Abbey, around which the Brits are already lining up for miles. Over 500 heads of state and important personalities have been invited to the event, and among those who have already confirmed their attendance, there are quite a few Sergio Mattarella, Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron. There will be royals from across Europe, many of whom share blood ties with the late sovereign, among other things. Among the first to announce that they would be present at the state funeral are King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spainwho will be with me at Westminster Abbey King Juan Carlos of Spainthird cousin of Elizabeth II, and his wife, Queen Sophia. Juan Carlos, who has lived in Abu Dhabi since 2020, abdicated in 2014 to leave the throne to his son Felipe VI.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
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A very timely commitment to participate in the state funeral came King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, who are accompanied by the Princess Beatrice, Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 to 2013 (when she actually abdicated in favor of her son Willem-Alexander). The last royals to respond to the invitation were instead Prince Alois and Princess Sophie von und zu Liechtenstein. The final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II will also be attended by the Prince Albert and the Princess Charlene of Monacothe Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and his wife Maria Teresa, and the King Philip and the Queen Mathilde of Belgium. The latter and Queen Elizabeth II share a common ancestor: it is Leopold I, the first King of Belgium and uncle of Prince Albert, who married Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco in 2018
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Part of Westminster Abbey’s 2,200 seats will then be reserved King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustav (75 years, on the throne since 1973: it is the longest reign in the history of the country) and his wife there Queen Silviathe Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark, Frederik and Mary, and his mother, Queen Margaret II The latter became the longest-lived monarch in Europe and the only one to actually reign after the death of her third cousin Elizabeth II at the age of 96. The Queen, who is 82, should have been celebrating her Golden Jubilee these days, on the occasion of Denmark’s 50th jubilee: the programs were changed, however, due to mourning for the English sovereign. That King of Norway Harald V (second cousin of Queen Elizabeth and incidentally 78th in line to the British throne) and his wife, Queen Sonja.
Queen Margaret of Denmark
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