Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral is scheduled for next Monday. This will be one of the biggest events of the year. As such, it is expected that several royalty and politicians from around the world will be in attendance.
Invitations have already been sent out and an estimated 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries will attend the event.
However, as with any event, there are those who have not been invited.
According to the BBC, representatives from Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan were not invited. Since the UK does not have full diplomatic relations with these countries, the national leaders of these nations are left out.
Apart from them, no one from Russia and Belarus was invited. Diplomatic ties between Britain and Russia have collapsed since the invasion of Ukraine, and a spokesman for the Russian President said Vladimir Putin was “not considering” attending the funeral.
In the case of Belarus, the diplomatic break was also due to the war in Ukraine. The invasion was partially launched from the territory of this country, whose President Aleksandr Lukashenko is a close ally of Putin.
Another country that did not invite representatives due to conflicts was Myanmar. Britain has significantly reduced its diplomatic presence there since a military coup last year.
Finally, North Korea and Nicaragua were asked to send only ambassadors, not heads of state.