President Zelensky’s wife Olena ‘WILL attend the Queen’s funeral’, with the Ukrainian leader staying at home to front his country’s fight against Russia
- Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife will attend the Queen’s funeral, according to The Sun
- Paper reports that Olena Zelenska will represent her husband at Monday’s event
- Zelensky will remain in Ukraine as he continues to lead fightback against Russia
- Mrs Zelenska will be among more than 500 leaders and dignitaries at the funeral
- The Queen’s funeral: All the latest Royal Family news and coverage
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife will attend the Queen’s funeral, it was claimed last night.
The First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska will reportedly be among a host of world leaders – including US President Joe Biden – flying to the UK to mark the monarch’s death at her state funeral on Monday.
However her husband, who has been widely praised for his wartime leadership following Russia’s invasion in February, is not believed to be travelling with her.
He will remain in Ukraine as his country continues to battle back Vladimir Putin’s invading forces.
Putin, who has previously had an audience with the Queen, has not been invited, despite offering his condolences to the royal family last week.
Mrs Zelenska will fly over to the UK this weekend, when she will represent her husband and her country, according to The Sun.
Last night, a source told the paper: ‘Olena Zelenska’s presence is yet another sign of the global support for Ukraine while Russia is isolated.
The First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska will reportedly be among a host of world leaders – including US President Joe Biden – flying to the UK to mark the monarch’s death at her state funeral on Monday
Mrs Zelenska will fly over to the UK this weekend, when she will represent her husband Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) and her country, according to The Sun
Mrs Zelenska will be among 500 heads of state and dignitaries invited to attend the Queen’s funeral on Monday. Pictured: The Queen’s coffin as she lies in state at Westminster Hall
‘Britain is one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies. Her presence at the funeral is a sign of that friendship and mutual respect.’
MailOnline has contacted representatives for the Ukrainian government for confirmation.
Mrs Zelenska will reportedly be among 500 heads of state and dignitaries invited to attend the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
Among them will be the Emperor of Japan, Naruhito, and his wife, Empress Masako, as well as King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain. US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill will also be present.
It is expected world leaders will arrive in London over the weekend, and will pay their own respects at Westminster Hall, where the Queen is currently lying in state.
It comes as it was yesterday revealed how the Queen’s state funeral will end with a two-minute national silence in a ‘fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign’ before she is laid to rest beside her late husband.
The King and the Queen’s three other children will also hold a 15-minute vigil at her coffin in Westminster Hall on Friday evening.
Charles III and the Royal Family have said they ‘wish to send their sincere gratitude for the messages of condolence received from around the world’, adding they have been ‘deeply moved by the global response and affection shown for the Queen as people join them in mourning the loss of Her Majesty’.
200 everyday heroes – including NHS staff who excelled during the pandemic and volunteers recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in June – will be part of a 2,000-strong congregation gathered at Westminster Abbey for the final farewell to the long-reigning monarch on Monday.
Britain’s bravest military heroes awarded the Victoria Cross – the highest and most prestigious award of Britain’s honours system introduced in 1856 by Queen Victoria during the Crimean War – or the George Cross, have also been asked to attend.
It comes as it was yesterday revealed how the Queen’s state funeral will end with a two-minute national silence in a ‘fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign’ before she is laid to rest beside her late husband. Pictured: A graphic showing how Monday’s funeral will play out
The Queen’s state funeral will end with a two-minute national silence in a ‘fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign’ before she is laid to rest beside her late husband. The King and the Queen ‘s three other children will also hold a 15-minute vigil at her coffin in Westminster Hall on Friday evening, it was announced today
They will join royals, politicians and world leaders in the historic church at 11am. The King will lead his family in marching behind the Queen’s coffin when it is moved Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for the funeral service.
He will walk with Anne, Andrew and Edward. Behind will be the Queen’s grandsons Peter Phillips, the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales, and behind them, the late monarch’s son-in-law Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Queen’s cousin the Duke of Gloucester, and her nephew the Earl of Snowdon.
It is not yet clear in which order the family will walk in their lines, though earlier this week Princes William and Harry walked side-by-side as the Queen’s coffin was moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. MailOnline has asked for clarification on the order.
The procession route for the Queen’s final journey on Monday
– Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey
The Queen’s Coffin will be carried from Westminster Hall shortly after 10.35am to the State Gun Carriage, which will be positioned outside the building’s North Door.
The procession will go from New Palace Yard through Parliament Square, Broad Sanctuary and the Sanctuary before arriving at Westminster Abbey just before 11am.
– Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch
After the State Funeral Service finishes at around midday, the coffin will be placed on the State Gun Carriage outside the Abbey.
At 12.15pm, the procession will set off for Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner.
The route will go from the Abbey via Broad Sanctuary, Parliament Square (south and east sides), Parliament Street, Whitehall, Horse Guards including Horse Guards Arch, Horse Guards Road, The Mall, Queen’s Gardens (south and west sides), Constitution Hill and Apsley Way.
– Wellington Arch to Windsor
At Wellington Arch, the Queen’s coffin will be transferred from the State Gun Carriage to the State Hearse just after 1pm, ahead of the journey to Windsor.
It then will travel from central London to Windsor, on a route that has not been disclosed by the Palace. When the hearse arrives in Windsor, the procession will begin just after 3pm at Shaw Farm Gate on Albert Road.
– Shaw Farm Gate to St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
The state hearse will join the procession, which will have been formed up and in position, at Shaw Farm Gate before travelling to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
The procession will follow the route of Albert Road, Long Walk, Cambridge Gate, Cambridge Drive, George IV Gate, Quadrangle (south and west sides), Engine Court, Norman Arch, Chapel Hill, Parade Ground and Horseshoe Cloister Arch.
Just before 4pm, the procession will halt at the bottom of the West Steps of St George’s Chapel in Horseshoe Cloister. Here, the bearer party will carry the coffin in procession up the steps into the chapel.
The Queen will be interred during a private burial at King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle at 7.30pm.
All guests must arrive from 8am and moving elements of the funeral will include the sounding of the Last Post at 11.55am followed by a two-minute silence in the Abbey and throughout the UK as the service nears its end at midday.
Symbolic artifacts, the Sovereign’s Orb and the Sovereign’s Sceptre With Cross will be placed on top of the Queen’s coffin. The orb is presented to British monarchs during their coronation, in a tradition dating back to Charles II’s coronation in 1661. Meanwhile, the sceptre, a three-foot-long staff which represents the monarch’s power in the secular world, will also be displayed.
The Queen’s state funeral will ‘unite people across the globe and resonate with people of all faiths’, according to The Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, the man in charge of the historic day that will see Her Majesty buried with Prince Philip and her parents at Windsor on Monday evening.
The Duke of Norfolk said today that it was ‘both humbling and daunting’ to have the ‘honour and great responsibility’ to run an event that will be watched by billions of people around the globe. He said: ‘The events of recent days are a reminder of the strength of our Constitution, a system of government, which in so many ways is the envy of the world’.
The Duke has laid out his plans and revealed that the King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex will mount a 15-minute vigil around the Queen’s coffin as it lies in state in the ancient Westminster Hall at 7.30pm on Friday. The siblings did the same thing in Edinburgh earlier this week in a ceremony known as the Vigil of the Princes.
Buckingham Palace also revealed a minute-by-minute breakdown of the state funeral – the first that Britain has hosted since Winston Churchill died in 1965.
On the morning of the State Funeral, the Lying-in-State will end at 6.30am as the final members of the public are admitted.
The doors of Westminster Abbey will open at 8am as the congregation of 2,000 VIPs begin to take their seats, three hours before the service begins at 11am.
At 10.35am, Her Majesty will be carried on the the gun carriage that conveyed her mother and father to their funerals from Westminster Hall, arriving at 10.52am. Her son, the new King, will lead the procession behind.
Moving elements of the funeral will include the sounding of the Last Post at 11.55am as the service nears its end, followed by a two-minute national silence which will be observed by the abbey congregation and by millions across the UK.
4billion people globally are expected to tune with the BBC and ITV broadcasting all day in the UK.
The Reveille – the traditional bugle call that awakens soldiers at dawn – and then the National Anthem will take place, and finally a Lament played by the Queen’s Piper which will bring the service to a close at noon, when the coffin will be carried from the Abbey.
At 12.15pm the Queen’s children and members of the Royal Family will walk behind her coffin to Wellington Arch when it leaves Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty begins her journey to Windsor to be laid to rest next to her beloved husband Prince Philip.
The Queen’s coffin will be returned to the gun carriage by the bearer party and a procession, including Prince William and Prince Harry side-by-side again, will travel to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park.
The King will once again lead his family in marching behind the Queen’s coffin when it is moved. He will walk with Anne, Andrew and Edward, and behind the quartet will be the Queen’s grandsons Peter Phillips, the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales. Just like yesterday, they will be followed by the late monarch’s son-in-law Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Queen’s cousin the Duke of Gloucester, and her nephew the Earl of Snowdon.
King Charles looks tearful as he marches with Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Anne, Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence yesterday. The family will march behind the coffin again after the state funeral on Monday
The Queen’s coffin will be carried during the procession on a 123-year-old gun carriage, pulled by 98 Royal Navy sailors using ropes in a tradition dating back to the funeral of Queen Victoria.
Minute-by-minute guide to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, September 19
6.30am – Doors will close to the public for the Queen’s lying in state in Westminster Hall.
8am – The doors of Westminster Abbey will open to the congregation to take their seats for the state funeral service.
Heads of state and overseas government representatives, including foreign royal families, governors-general and realm prime ministers will gather initially at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and travel under collective arrangements to Westminster Abbey.
10.35am – Just after 10.35am, a bearer party, found by The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, will lift the coffin from the catafalque.
It will then carry it in procession from Westminster Hall to the Royal Navy’s state gun carriage, which will be positioned outside the building’s North Door.
10.44am – The gun carriage, drawn by 142 Royal Navy service personnel, will set off at 10.44am.
The King, members of the royal family, members of the King’s Household and Household of the Prince of Wales will follow the coffin.
10.52am – The procession arrives at the West Gate of Westminster Abbey where the bearer party will lift the coffin from the state gun carriage and carry it inside for the state funeral service.
11am – The state funeral service begins.
11.55am – The Last Post will sound followed by a national two-minute silence.
12pm – Reveille, the national anthem and a lament, played by the Queen’s Piper, will bring the state funeral service to an end at approximately noon.
The coffin will be carried to the state gun carriage.
12.15pm – The procession will set off for Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, following the route of Broad Sanctuary Parliament Square (south and east sides), Parliament Street, Whitehall, Horse Guards including Horse Guards Arch, Horse Guards Road, The Mall, Queen’s Gardens (south and west sides), Constitution Hill and Apsley Way.
1pm – The procession will arrive at Wellington Arch.
The bearer party will lift the coffin from the state gun carriage and place it in the state hearse.
The state hearse will then depart on its journey to Windsor as the parade gives a royal salute and the national anthem is played.
The King and the Queen Consort, the Prince and Princess of Wales and members of the royal family will depart for Windsor by car.
3.06pm – The state hearse will approach Shaw Farm Gate on Albert Road, Windsor, and join the procession, which will have been formed up and in position.
3.10pm – The procession will step off. The route will be: Albert Road, Long Walk, Cambridge Gate, Cambridge Drive, George IV Gate, Quadrangle (south and west sides), Engine Court, Norman Arch, Chapel Hill, Parade Ground and Horseshoe Cloister Arch.
3.20pm – The door of St George’s Chapel will open for the congregation for the committal service.
3.25pm – Members of the royal family who will not join the procession will arrive at St George’s Chapel for the service.
3.40pm – The King and other royal family members who are walking in the procession will join it at the quadrangle on the north side as it passes into Engine Court.
3.53pm – The procession will halt at the bottom of the West Steps of St George’s Chapel in Horseshoe Cloister.
The bearer party will lift the coffin from the state hearse, from where it will be carried in procession up the West Steps.
4pm – The committal service will begin.
The length of the service is not yet known but when it ends, the King and members of the royal family will depart from the Galilee Porch for Windsor Castle.
It marks the end of public ceremonial arrangements.
7.30pm – A private burial service will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, attended by the King and members of the royal family.
The Queen is to be buried together with the Duke of Edinburgh at the King George VI Memorial Chapel.
She will be accompanied on her final journey by a massed Pipes & Drums of Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas, and the Royal Air Force – numbering 200 musicians.
The Procession is formed of seven groups, each supported by a service band. Mounties from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will lead, immediately followed by representatives of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, NHS, along with detachments from the Armed Forces of the Commonwealth.
Her Majesty’s hearse will arrive at the Long Walk at 3.15pm, where the public will be able to give their final respects. The procession of senior royals, which will have been formed up and in position after being driven to Windsor, will again walk behind the hearse into the grounds of the castle.
There will be a televised ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor at 4pm on Monday. Some 800 people, including members of the Queen’s Household and Windsor estate staff, will attend the committal service. As the coffin is lowered into the royal vault the Sovereign’s Piper will play a lament and walk slowly away so the music fades.
The Queen is to be buried together with the Duke of Edinburgh at the King George VI Memorial Chapel. The King will scatter earth on his mother’s coffin at 7.30pm at a private family service. Her Majesty will be buried next to her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, her father King George VI and mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, for eternity.
Huw Edwards, Kirsty Young and David Dimbleby are among the broadcasters leading BBC coverage of the Queen’s funeral, the corporation has announced.
The special programming will air from 8am until 5pm on Monday September 19 on BBC One and iPlayer, with BSL signed coverage on BBC Two. Edwards and Fergal Keane will be covering events from London and Young and Dimbleby from Windsor, with other reporters stationed at other key areas throughout the day.
ITV will also be broadcasting through the day, with the coverage led by journalist Tom Bradby, a friend of Prince Harry.
After the state funeral, attended by some 2,000 guests, including visiting heads of state and other dignitaries, the late queen’s coffin will be transported through the historic heart of London on a horse-drawn gun carriage before being driven by the state hearse to Windsor.
Other representatives of the Realms and the Commonwealth, the Orders of Chivalry including recipients of the Victoria Cross and George Cross, Government, Parliament, devolved Parliaments and Assemblies, the Church, and Her Majesty’s Patronages will form the congregation, along with other public representatives.
And almost 200 people who were recognised in The Queen’s Birthday Honours earlier this year will also join the congregation, including those who made extraordinary contributions to the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and have volunteered in their local communities.
The Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, said: ‘The Queen held a unique and timeless position in all our lives. This has been felt more keenly over the past few days as the world comes to terms with her demise.
‘Her Majesty’s passing has left many people across many continents with a profound sense of loss.
‘The respect, admiration and affection in which the Queen was held, make our task both humbling and daunting. An honour and a great responsibility.
‘It is our aim and belief that the state funeral and events of the next few days will unite people across the globe and resonate with people of all faiths, whilst fulfilling Her Majesty and her family’s wishes to pay a fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign.’
The procession will arrive at the west gate of Westminster Abbey at 10.52am when the bearer party will lift the coffin from the gun carriage and carry it into the Abbey for the state funeral service, the Earl Marshal said.
The service will begin at 11am and will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster.
The Prime Minister and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth will read Lessons, while the Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Free Churches Moderator will say prayers.
The sermon will be given by the Archbishop of Canterbury who will also give the commendation, while the Dean will pronounce the blessing.
At around 11.55am the Last Post will sound, followed by two minutes of silence to be observed in the Abbey and throughout the UK.
Reveille, the national anthem and a lament played by the Queen’s piper will bring the state funeral service to an end at around 12 noon.
The bearer party will then lift the coffin from the catafalque and will move in procession through the Great West Door returning to the State Gun Carriage positioned outside the West Gate.
After the service the Queen’s coffin will be returned to the gun carriage by the bearer party and a procession will travel to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park.
An early morning rehearsal for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London
The Scots Guards march in the moonlight past Westminster Abbey, where the funeral will be held
Construction workers prepare the platforms in Windsor Castle for the funeral on Monday
A member of the Coldstream Guards stands guard at Windsor Castle, the Queen’s home until she died
Portaloos are delivered and lined up in Windsor Great Park with huge crowds expected next week
The Queen’s coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault at St George’s Chapel in Windsor (pictured), where she will be buried alongside her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, her beloved parents, and her sister Princess Margaret
The King and the royal party will take up their same places behind the coffin as when they escorted it to the Abbey, while the Queen Consort and Princess of Wales will travel to the site by car as will the Duchess of Sussex and Countess of Wessex.
The route will be lined by the Armed Forces from Westminster Abbey to the top of Constitution Hill at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates.
The historic artifacts – including the sceptre which has be used at every coronation since 1661 – which will lie on Queen’s coffin
At the heart of the Crown Jewels are the Queen’s Instruments of State, which will lie on her coffin on Monday.
The Imperial State Crown boasts more than 3,000 gems – including 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and five rubies.
Made in 1937 for the coronation of the Queen’s father, King George VI, it weighs in at a hefty 2lb 5oz.
During her reign, Queen Elizabeth II would wear it annually for the State Opening of Parliament, until it became too heavy for her to bear.
The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross has been used at every coronation since Charles II’s in 1661.
At 3ft long, it represents the monarch’s power in the secular world and holds a piece of the world’s largest diamond, the Cullinan I, which weighs in at an astonishing 530.2 carats. Meanwhile, the Sovereign’s Orb, a golden globe surmounted by a cross, reminds the monarch that their power is derived from God and is presented at a monarch’s coronation.
The ornate piece of regalia is golden and has a cross perched on top to symbolise heavenly power over the world. It is extravagantly mounted with emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, pearls and one amethyst.
The Procession is formed of seven groups, each supported by a service band. Mounties from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will lead, immediately followed by representatives of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, NHS, along with detachments from the Armed Forces of the Commonwealth.
At Wellington Arch the royal family will watch as the Queen’s coffin is transferred to the new state hearse, whose details the Queen approved, before it begins its journey to Windsor Castle.
The Earl Marshal said that at 3.06pm, the state hearse will approach Shaw Farm Gate on Albert Road, Windsor, and join the procession which will be in position.
At 3.10pm the procession will step off via Albert Road, Long Walk, Cambridge Gate, Cambridge Drive, George IV Gate, Quadrangle (South and West sides), Engine Court, Norman Arch, Chapel Hill, Parade Ground and Horseshoe Cloister Arch.
At approximately 3.40 pm the King and other members of the royal family who are walking in the procession join it at the Quadrangle on the North side as it passes into Engine Court.
Members of the Queen’s, the King’s and the Prince of Wales’s households will be positioned at the rear of the coffin.
The Queen Consort with the Princess of Wales, and the Duchess of Sussex with the Countess of Wessex will again follow by car.
At 3.53pm, the procession will halt at the bottom of the West Steps of St George’s Chapel in Horseshoe Cloister.
The bearer party will lift the coffin from the state hearse, from where it will be carried in procession up the West Steps.
At 4pm a committal service conducted by the Dean of Windsor will then begin, and will also be televised around the world.
The Committal Service at St George’s Chapel will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor and feature a congregation of the late monarch’s family and friends and mourners from her household past and present, including her personal staff from across her private estates.
At the end of the final hymn, the King will place the Grenadier Guards’ Queen’s Company Colour – the royal standard of the regiment – on the coffin.
Baron Parker, the Lord Chamberlain and the most senior official in the late Queen’s royal household, will ‘break’ his Wand of Office and place it on the Coffin.
In the evening, a private burial service will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, attended by Charles and members of the royal family. The Queen will be buried together with her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, at the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George’s Chapel.
The Prime Minister will meet a small proportion of world leaders attending London for the Queen’s funeral.
It is understood those meetings will be held between the country mansion of Chevening House and Downing Street over the weekend.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said on Thursday that Downing Street could not yet confirm which world leaders Liz Truss will be meeting.
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