Which six countries that will not be invited to Queen’s funeral

The longest-reigning queen in British history, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away on September 8 at the age of 96. Major world leaders will attend her burial on September 19 at Westminster Abbey, where she will be laid to rest. Additionally, it will mark the first state funeral held in the UK since the passing of Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965.

Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Venezuela, Syria, and Afghanistan will not be given invitations to the royal funeral, according to a Thursday New York Times report. The decision was made taking into account the political environment at the time and the ties that the UK has with these countries.

The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has drawn criticism from the UK and other western nations, therefore it is not surprising that President Vladimir Putin was not invited to the funeral. Belarus was also not invited because of its connection with Russia.

The UK has no diplomatic ties with either Syria or Venezuela, and after taking into account the present political climates, Syria and Afghanistan were also left out.

Iran, Nicaragua, and North Korea were the only nations to get invitations at the ambassadorial level. It indicates that the state heads were not invited.

Several foreign leaders have already indicated that they will attend the royal funeral, including US Vice President Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau of Canada, and Emmanuel Macron of France.