ANP
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News from the NOS•yesterday, 21:38•Modified yesterday, 22:21
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World leaders and monarchs greeted Queen Elizabeth tonight. US President Biden and royal couples from Sweden and Spain, among others, visited Westminster Hall, where the coffin with Elizabeth’s body is located.
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Everyone can say goodbye to the Queen in Westminster Hall until 6:30 local time tomorrow. The funeral ceremony will take place in Westminster Abbey at 11:00 (12:00 Dutch time), after which Elizabeth will be transferred to Windsor Castle. For days, visitors queued for hours for a moment at the coffin in Westminster Hall.
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Many dignitaries arrived in London this weekend. They were able, through a special entrance, to say goodbye to Elizabeth.
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View a brief overview here:
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World leaders salute Queen Elizabeth
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They also met tonight at a reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by King Charles.
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At 8pm local time, a minute of silence was observed across Britain to commemorate the Queen:
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Minute of silence for Queen Elizabeth
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President Biden and his wife Jill appeared early in the evening at Westminster Hall, where they observed the coffin from a podium for a while in silence. Subsequently, the president praised the dignity and servitude of the late queen. He also called her “decent” and “venerable”.
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Among the dignitaries were the King of Sweden Carl Gustavo and Queen Sofia, as well as the Spanish King Felipe and Queen Letizia. The Swedish royal couple dressed in black made a small bow to the deceased queen.
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Ukrainian first lady Zelenska, French president Macron and Belgian king Philip were also in the old parliament building. King William Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Beatrice arrived tonight at Buckingham Palace for the reception. It is not known if they will still go to Westminster Hall.
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Not invited
Not all world leaders are invited to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral tomorrow. For example, due to the war in Ukraine, Russian President Putin and Belarusian President Lukashenko received no invitation. Neither are the leaders of Myanmar, Afghanistan, Syria and Venezuela, countries with which the British government has limited or non-existent diplomatic relations.
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been invited. This led to the international indignation. According to the American secret service CIA, the crown prince gave permission for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, although he denies it. Incidentally, a source tells Reuters news agency that tomorrow the Saudi delegation will not be the crown prince, but another prince.
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Not everyone liked the invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping. China sends Vice President Wang Qishan to the funeral.
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In the pictures: 10 days of British mourning for the death of Queen Elizabeth
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