Queen Elizabeth II, the longest ruling monarch in British history, sadly passed away on September 8, 2022 at the age of ninety-six. The Queen will be laid to rest at Westminster Abbey on September 19 and the funeral will be attended by leaders from nations all around the world. This will be the first state funeral in the United Kingdom since the death of the Prime Minister Winston Churchill back in 1965. The funeral service will take place at Westminster Abbey in the presence of heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, members of the European royal families, and key figures of the public eye. 

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Venezuela, Syria, and Afghanistan will not be receiving any invitation to the royal funeral. This step was taken considering the current political climate and the relationship that the United Kingdom shares with these nations. The reason why these countries were not invited was because the UK does not have or share any diplomatic relationships with these countries. Specifically the UK does not share diplomatic relationships with Venezuela, and Syria, while with the political situation in Afghanistan ever since the Taliban swept to power a year ago, which means no representative has been invited from Kabul. 

The United Kingdom, along with the other western countries, have criticized Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and it has come to no surprise that President Vladimir Putin did not receive an invitation to the funeral. Belarus was also excluded from the guest list considering its alliance with Russia. When it comes to Myanmar, Syria, and Venezuela, the United Kingdom has no official diplomatic relationship with any of these nations, Afghanistan was excluded amidst current political situations. As Russia’s ongoing invasion into Ukraine continues, the United Kingdom has played a major role in the security, economic and, and diplomatic dimensions of the invasion: “We are watching the outrage of what is happening in Ukraine. We’re seeing a flagrant violation of international law. But not just outrage, also horror.” said Michael Tatham, a British diplomat, and a Deputy Ambassador to the USA ever since January 2018. 

Three countries, North Korea, Nicaragua, and Iran were sent invitations, but only on an ambassadorial level. This means that the heads of the states for the nation were not invited. Several world leaders have already confirmed their attendance at the royal funeral, United States President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and French President Emmanuel Macron are all traveling to the United Kingdom.