The Diplomat
The Spanish representation at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral will be headed by King Felipe VI, according to the Government spokeswoman, while the King Emeritus will attend in a personal capacity, as he has been expressly invited by the British Royal Household.
The minister spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, did not clarify, however, whether the two will travel together to London with Queen Letizia and Doña Sofía. At the press conference following the Council of Ministers, Rodríguez stressed that “our country will be represented by King Felipe at this important event“, ruling out making “any consideration” regarding the attendance of Don Juan Carlos or whether he will have to travel to the British capital from Abu Dhabi by his own means.
Zarzuela also avoided commenting on how the King Emeritus will travel. Sources at the King’s Household said that the trip of the King and Queen, as well as that of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, will be adapted “to the protocol criteria, organisational decisions and logistical instructions adopted by the British authorities”, who are responsible for the event.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, confirmed yesterday that he will also attend the funeral, as it is “customary” for him to accompany the Head of State on his international trips. He also justified the fact that it is not the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who is travelling to London, stressing that the King and the Head of Government never travel together except in the case of Ibero-American Summits, and in this case it is due to “the very special relationship” with this region.
According to British press reports, the UK government has already sent embassies a number of instructions and recommendations regarding the participation of heads of state at the funeral. Among them, they are asked not to travel on private planes as far as possible and to opt for commercial flights, warning that otherwise they will probably have to land at airports further away from the capital.
Zarzuela announced on Monday that Don Felipe and Doña Letizia had accepted the invitation to attend the funeral of the former monarch of the United Kingdom for seven decades and clarified that Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía had also been invited and were awaiting their “personal decision” about their attendance. Hours later, he confirmed their intention to attend Elizabeth II’s farewell.
