President to attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades is preparing to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on September 19 in London.

The Cyprus News Agency (CNA) has learned that arrangements are already being made for Anastasiades to be one of the many heads of government and state present at the funeral.

Anastasiades is expected to leave Cyprus on September 15 for Athens, where he will attend and address, the next day, a dinner hosted by the Cyprus Union of Shipowners.

He will fly to London for the funeral of the Queen and leave on September 19 or 20 for New York, where he will address the UN General Assembly on September 23.

He was scheduled to address a dinner of the Cypriot diaspora in London; however, this was cancelled due to the UK’s national mourning following the Queen’s death.

Speculation over the travel arrangements for foreign dignitaries expected to attend the service next Monday intensified after government documents emerged saying foreign heads of state would have to ride en masse in a bus to Westminster Abbey rather than using private cars.

The guidance, seen by the Guardian and first reported by Politico, set out strict rules for the dozens of presidents, kings, queens and prime ministers expected to attend the funeral, urging them to travel by commercial flights to avoid putting too much strain on London’s airports.

The protocol message also said that international guests must keep their delegations as small as possible and that funeral invitation was limited to the head of state and their spouse.