President Draupadi Murmu will join nearly 500 world leaders and foreign dignitaries, including kings and queens and heads of state and government, at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on Monday.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry confirmed that the President would be on a three-day visit to the UK, as the Indian head of state is invited to attend a state funeral in London. It marks the first time a state funeral has been held in Britain in 57 years, the last being held in 1965 at the abbey of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
According to official London reports, King Charles III will hold a funeral at 11 am local time on Monday and a reception for overseas leaders at Buckingham Palace in London on Sunday night.

Visiting heads of state, including President Murmu, are expected to attend the reception. Earlier on Sunday, she is expected to attend the Lying-in-state of the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall, sign a letter of condolence, and deliver a condolence message on behalf of the Government of India at Lancaster House, near Buckingham Palace.

After Monday’s funeral, the Queen’s coffin will be paraded from Westminster Abbey to St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. The reception in Windsor will likely include visiting heads of state from Commonwealth countries and key UK allies.

A second reception will be held in the church building of the London Abbey to receive other visiting dignitaries, including senior government ministers and diplomats.

Meanwhile, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has impacted one of the most important diplomatic events in recent British history.

According to British media reports, Russia, Belarus, and Myanmar have not yet received invitations to attend the state funeral.

Myanmar, which supports Moscow, is not on the invite list. The UK has had no formal diplomatic relations with the Southeast Asian nation since a military coup toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s government last year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, although invited, is unlikely to attend, given the ongoing conflict.

It is also seen as one of the biggest logistical challenges facing the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in the coming days, with some countries with less friendly relations with the UK, such as Iran, being represented only at the ambassadorial level.

Some reports of world leaders taking a bus to the monastery on the day of the funeral did not apply to every visiting dignitary, with US President Joe Biden expected to ride in his armoured Cadillac – dubbed “Beast.”

Many other world leaders will also use their vehicles, and invitees are asked to be flexible to avoid traffic jams in central London on a funeral day.

In addition to Biden, world leaders confirmed to attend so far include the prime ministers of New Zealand, Canada and Australia, South African President Ramaphosa and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The monarchs expected to attend include King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and King Felipe and Queen of Spain Letizia.