Indian President to attend State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Indian President Droupadi Murmu will visit London, UK from September 17-19 to attend the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and offer condolences on behalf of the Indian government.

“Queen Elizabeth II, the former head of state of the UK and Head of the Commonwealth of Nations passed away on 8 September. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed condolences at the demise of Queen Elizabeth II. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar visited the British High Commission in New Delhi on 12 September to convey India’s condolences. India also observed a day of national mourning on Sunday, 11 September,” read the Ministry of External Affairs statement.

The statement added in the 70 years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, India-UK ties have evolved, flourished and strengthened immensely. She played an important role in the welfare of millions of people worldwide as Head of the Commonwealth.

The British Queen breathed her last at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8.

The death of the 96-year-old Queen ended a generation-spanning, seven-decade reign that made her a beacon of stability in a tumultuous world. The UK has entered a period of official mourning, with tributes pouring in worldwide.

King Charles III was proclaimed as the new monarch of England on Saturday after his mother Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8. Moreover, the national anthem of Britain will now again shift back to “God Save the King” after the Queen’s demise.

UK authorities had devised Operation London Bridge to manage events during the first 10 days between the Queen’s death and the funeral. They had thought of Operation Unicorn in case the queen died in Scotland.

The funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on September 19 and there will be a committal service in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth II will be buried in the castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel.

The Queen was born on April 21, 1926, at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York – who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. (ANI)