US Vice President Joe Biden has arrived in London ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday.
Mr. Biden is one of 500 heads of state and global dignitaries who have gathered in London for a meeting of world leaders not seen in decades.
The prime ministers of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have already arrived in the United Kingdom.
Some of the invited visitors, such as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, have sparked controversy.
Other Commonwealth leaders set to participate include Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in addition to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. President Droupadi Murmu will represent India.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Italian President Sergio Mattarella are among the other world leaders expected to attend.
Members of royal families from across Europe will also be present.
Many of the guests are expected to pay their respects to the Queen at her lying-in-state in Westminster Hall and sign a book of condolence at Lancaster House.
But the focus will be a formal state reception hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on Sunday.
For many leaders, it will be their only chance to meet collectively and engage in some diplomacy.
Some of the guests invited to attend the funeral have, however, raised eyebrows.
The extension of an invite to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed Bin Salman (known as MBS) has proved controversial.
