Buckingham Palace Made Their Stance On Who's Invited To The Queen's Funeral Crystal Clear
Ever since Queen Elizabeth II's death on September 8, Buckingham Palace has been busy finalizing the details of her various tributes and services. The queen's funeral is set to take place on Monday, September 19, at 11:00 a.m. BST following a public lying in state, Buckingham Palace announced. The ceremony will be held at Westminster Abbey, the same church where the late monarch married Prince Philip in 1947 and where her coronation took place in 1953.
Westminster Abbey has a capacity limit of 2,200 people, making each invite to the queen's funeral particularly valuable. Members of the royal family are expected to be in attendance, including the newly crowned King Charles III as well as Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, who reportedly last visited the queen in June (per Insider). Royal watchers have been wondering who exactly will fill the other seats at the ceremony — especially when it comes to American leaders and politicians. However, the palace has now made it clear who they welcome to the queen's funeral — and who might be left out.
Trump may not be invited to the queen's funeral
Queen Elizabeth II's funeral will perhaps be one of the biggest events of our lifetime, but some big names may be stuck watching the televised ceremony from home. So far, current U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have been invited and confirmed their attendance with Buckingham Palace (via Independant). This led some to believe that Biden would be responsible for choosing which other American leaders would accompany him, including CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who gained attention after suggesting that the POTUS should invite former president Donald Trump (per The Hill).
Now, Tapper shared an update from a White House official on Twitter, claiming that Buckingham Palace only invited the Bidens and that other Americans will be invited directly through the palace, not the president. Though Trump penned a touching tribute to the queen for the Daily Mail, many Twitter users are taking the announcement as a sign that he likely won't be invited to the official funeral.
Another big name that won't be in attendance is Vladimir Putin. Putin also paid tribute to the queen following her death, though he won't be present for her funeral, Politico reports. Instead, another representative from Russia will take his place.