Today, the world witnessed a historic event. Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral began at 11am, with the Queen's funeral guests travelling from all over the world to pay their respects to Her Majesty.
Ahead of the global event, people began searching for details of the Queen’s funeral plans, notably - who will go? ‘The Queen’s funeral guests’ was a popular search term on Google, with that changing to ‘Who is at the Queen’s funeral?’ and 'Which celebrities are at the Queen's funeral?' the moment guests started to arrive.
Who were the guests at the Queen’s funeral?
According to the BBC, invitations to the Queen’s funeral went out last weekend, with 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries expected to attend. The Westminster Abbey has a 2,200 person capacity, with 2,000 guests invited alongside the Royal Family.
Which royal family members were at the Queen's funeral?
Of course the Queen's children - King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward - were all at the funeral, as well as their respective spouses - Camilla, the Queen Consort; Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Sir Tim Laurence.
That's alongside the Queen's grandchildren - Prince William, Price Harry, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. The Queen's great-grandchildren Prince George and Princess Charlotte were also in attendance, walking behind the Queen's coffin.
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex paid their respects at the funeral too, as did the Duke of York's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Who did Meghan arrive with at the Queen's funeral?
While Kate Middleton arrived by car with Camilla, Queen Consort, and children Prince George and Princess Charlotte in tow, Meghan arrived with Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Forfar, who is said to have become a solid support system for the duchess.
Other Royals who attended were Queen Elizabeth II's cousins - the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
Why didn't Meghan and Harry's kids - Archie and Lilibet - go to the Queen's funeral and where was Prince Louis?
The Prince and Princess of Wales' youngest child, Louis, did not attend the funeral, nor did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children - Archie and Lilibet - who have not been seen in England since the pair arrived. While the royal family have not publicly stated why Meghan and Harry's children are not at the Queen's funeral, nor Prince Louis, it is likely that they are simply too young for such a devastating public event.
Which foreign royal families were at the Queen's funeral?
Members of various European royal families, including those from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Monaco. Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were in attendance, as well as King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife, Queen Maxima, along with his mother, former Dutch queen Princess Beatrix. King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain also attended.
Which world leaders were at the Queen's funeral?
US president Joe Biden (with First Lady Jill Biden) arrived early on, however former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump were not in attendance.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended though, as did Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. That’s alongside world leaders from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro were also at the funeral – as was Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin.
European world leaders who attended include German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian President Sergio Mattarella, as well European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Further leaders included Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan while Iran was represented at an ambassadorial level.
Why wasn't Barack Obama at the Queen's funeral?
The surprising no show was former US president Barack Obama, who was said to have been invited privately alongside his wife Michelle. While many expected the Obama's to attend the funeral due to their seemingly positive relationship with the Queen during Obama's presidency, the pair were nowhere to be seen. Why? Well, it's not actually been confirmed that the couple were privately invited, with many noting that they surely would've gone had they been. The Obama's have not publicly stated whether they were invited or if they planned to attend, nor have they explained their absence. However, they did post the following heartfelt statement:
Which British prime ministers and politicians were at the Queen's funeral?
Prime Minister Liz Truss attended and spoke at the service. Former PM Boris Johnson and wife Carrie also went along, as did Kier Starmer, Angela Rayner and Jacob Rees-Mog. Tony Blair was seen with Cherie, seated next to Gordon Brown. Theresa May and David Cameron also attended.
Who were the special guests invited to the Queen's funeral?
The PA news agency confirmed last week that all holders of the Victoria Cross or George Cross were invited to attend the Queen's funeral, which is the highest military award for bravery in the field.
Jacinda Amey, who risked her life to pull a friend to safety amid a great white shark attack when she was just 23, was one of 10 guests that New Zealand brought along to the funeral. Also in attendance was Willie Apiata, a special forces soldier who won the Victoria Cross for his bravery under fire while fighting in Afghanistan.
While countries outside of the Commonwealth were limited to two guests, those within it had the same aforementioned privileges.
The Australian delegation included Chris Waller, a horse trainer who looked after many of the Queen’s horses plus decorated military veteran Ben Roberts-Smith, who received the Victoria Cross for his bravery in battle as a corporal in the Australian SAS in Afghanistan in 2010.
Australia is reported to have offered to help delegations from Commonwealth countries in the South Pacific fly to the UK for the funeral, including Samoa, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu.
And Canada's Justin Trudeau invited Leslie Arthur Palmer, a member of the coast guard who was awarded Canada's Cross of Valour for rescuing two fisherman in 2004.
Which celebrities were at the Queen's funeral?
So far, the only confirmed celebrities invited to attend were Killing Eve actor Sandra Oh (to which many are now Googling, 'Why is Sandra Oh at the Queen's funeral?), musician Gregory Charles and Olympic gold medal swimmer Mark Tewksbury - all of whom received the Order of Canada - the country's second highest civilian honour. Founded by Queen Elizabeth II in 1967, the Order of Canada recognises extraordinary contributions to the nation. Sandra received the award earlier this year for her ‘artistic career filled with memorable stage, television and film roles in Canada and abroad.’
Bear Grylls also appeared as one of the first mourners at the Queen's funeral today, who was awarded a commission within the Royal Marines as an Honorary Colonel to the Commando family.
Who wasn't invited to the Queen's funeral?
According to the BBC, countries that do not have full diplomatic relationships with the UK were not invited. That means Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan will not be represented at the funeral, nor will Russia, Belarus and Myanmar. Last week, Vladimir Putin told reporters he was ‘not considering’ attending the funeral following the complete breakdown of Russia and the UK’s relations due to the Ukraine war. North Korea (DPRK) and Nicaragua were invited to send ambassadors, but not heads of state.