Queen’s Funeral: Foreign Heads Of Govt Barred From Flying Private Jets Into London

Queen’s Funeral: Foreign Heads Of Govt Barred From Flying Private Jets Into London.

Foreign heads of state have been advised to if possible, arrive in the UK onboard commercial flights.

Late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral has been scheduled for Monday, September 19, 2022.

According to multiple UK media reports monitored by Choc News, the protocols for attending heads of government and officials released by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO strictly restricts the number of guests and the mode of travel to the event.

Attendance at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral is strictly by invitation with numbers limited to a head of state and their spouse or a senior government official as a representative.

A part of the protocol released by the FCDO and quoted in the media reads,

“Multiple and comprehensive layers of security will be in place across London and at all the official venues used for the state funeral and associated events,”.

Foreign heads of state have been advised to if possible, arrive in the UK onboard commercial flights because London London Heathrow airport will be closed to private jets by regulation.

Also, as part of the arrangements, heads of government and their spouses have been advised to gather at a site in West London where buses will convey them to and from Westminster Abbey, the venue of the funeral both for arrival and departure.

It is recommended for arriving heads of government to fly to nearby airports around London. In taking this option, foreign heads of state are warned against the use of helicopters to transfer from other airports to the venue as helicopters are banned from the airspace around London during the funeral to avoid air traffic congestion.

Citing reasons for these strict protocols, the FCDO noted that Westminster Abbey, the venue of the funeral has a capacity to accommodate about 2,200 persons at once. It is, therefore, expected to be congested on the day of the funeral, which informs the decision to admit a limited number of foreign officials.

“Because of limited space at the state funeral service and associated events, no other members of the principal guest’s family, staff, or entourage may be admitted,” the FCDO said in the protocol documents, regretting that more officials could not be admitted.

Source | Choc News