The delegation of the Chinese government was not allowed to enter Westminster Hall, where the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is kept, the BBC writes. It will be recalled that the leaders of three countries – Russia, Belarus and Myanmar – are prohibited from attending the monarch’s funeral, where hundreds of heads of state are expected. London police said on Friday that the state funeral was the biggest security operation ever organized in London.

The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has reportedly refused a request for access to Westminster Hall due to sanctions imposed by China on some British parliamentarians. The House of Commons told the BBC that they do not comment on security issues.

“As the host country, the UK is certainly familiar with diplomatic protocols and proper ways of receiving guests,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said, insisting he had not seen the ban.

Last year, China imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on nine Britons, including seven MPs, after Britain accused Beijing of mistreating Muslim Uighurs.

This led to China’s ambassador to the UK being banned from Parliament – a move now extended to the Chinese delegation who wanted to pay tribute to the Queen.

Relations between Great Britain and China are already strained, and this ban will not improve the situation, the BBC comments. The Chinese vice president is expected to attend a state funeral on Monday, which will take place across the road from Parliament at Westminster Abbey.

“The largest security operation” ever carried out in London

London police said on Friday that Queen Elizabeth’s funeral will be the biggest security operation it has ever undertaken, as prime ministers, presidents and members of the royal family begin to gather to pay their respects to the country’s longest-reigning monarch. service

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are among the high-profile guests who have confirmed they will attend the funeral, while the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Myanmar have not been invited.

King Charles III will host world leaders and royals at Buckingham Palace this weekend ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in one of the biggest official British state receptions in history.

Presidents and prime ministers from around the world will arrive in London over the weekend to pay their respects to the Queen. Every country with diplomatic ties to Great Britain has been invited to send a representative, and the kings and queens of the Netherlands, Norway and Spain will be among the European royal families.

On Sunday, they will attend a grand reception at Buckingham Palace, where they will be officially welcomed by the King. All members of the British royal family are also expected to attend, with no details on the attendance of Prince Harry, his wife Meghan Markle and Prince Andrew.

The closed coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is on public display in Westminster Hall until the morning of September 19. Access is open 24 hours a day and thousands of people queue to pass the sovereign’s hearse.

King Charles III and the Queen consort left for Wales on Friday, ending their tour of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales). During the evening, all four of the Queen’s children, including King Charles, will gather at Westminster Hall for a “princely vigil”.

The Tube in central London is closed on Monday

Three tube stations in central London will be closed for most of Monday morning for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Transport for London (Tfl) announced on Friday.

The company that runs the capital’s public transport network said Westminster, St James’s Park and Hyde Park Corner stations would be closed to avoid congestion near Westminster Abbey, where the funeral will take place. In addition, Green Park station will only allow tube departures between 9:00 GMT and 19:00 GMT. The affected stations will be reopened after the funeral to help people leave the area.

In addition, many buses which normally run through central London are expected to be diverted on Monday morning. Transport for London also said buses would stop “where safe and practical” during a minute’s silence scheduled for Sunday evening at 19:00 GMT and during two minutes’ silence on Monday at 10:55 GMT at the end of the funeral. state.

Queen Elizabeth II is to be buried on Monday at 19:30 local time (21:30 Romanian time) in a private ceremony at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, on the western outskirts of London, after a state funeral on Monday morning.