Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and King Charles III at Buckingham Palace
Tyranny and strained diplomatic ties have restrained the UK government from inviting certain countries’ heads of government from attending the burial of Queen Elizabeth II.
At least, six countries got no invitation at all to attend the grand event while others had only their Ambassadors attending.
Due to strained relations, the UK has opted to invite ambassadors, not heads of state, from several countries namely: Iran, Nicaragua and North Korea.
But Russia and Belarus are among a small group of nations excluded completely from attending following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin — under a travel ban to the UK due to sanctions — had already said he would not attend.
But not inviting any Russian representative to the queen’s funeral was “particularly blasphemous towards Elizabeth II’s memory” and “deeply immoral,” the foreign ministry spokeswoman in Moscow had raged ahead of the final burial rites.
Russia and Belarus have embassies in London and their presidents sent King Charles III messages of condolences, but this did not persuade the UK government from extending invitation to their leaders or representatives.
Other countries with no invitations are Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that it was not only US President Joe Biden that got a waiver to bring his official armoured limousine called The Beast while other world leaders attend in coaches arranged by the UK government. French President, Emmanuel Macron, was also among the exclusive club of world leaders allowed to attend in their official vehicles. At the core of this privilege is security: while US is seen as the global rallying point against Russia and her allies in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, France is one of the most outspoken voices out of Europe.
