Americans you expect to see at QE2's funeral

Trump will be pissed that he's not invited.

I won’t be surprised if either the Obamas or the Clintons are the official representatives of the US.

Carol Burnett

Joan Rivers will be attending from the Great Beyond.

George and Laura Bush

James and Susan Baker

Condoleezza Rice

Bill and Hillary Clinton

Barack and Michelle Obama

Meryl Streep

Why would GWB be at Elizabeth II's funeral?

Obamas? Maybe as BRF (including late monarch and King Charles) seemed to like Barack and Michelle very much.

Just how many former American POTUS do some of you think are going to be invited? Bush, Obama, Clinton, and perhaps Biden. That's quite a lot...

I'm sure both the Bidens will be there and most likely the Obamas and the Clintons and GW Bushes. Maybe Jimmy Carter. Probably some pastor of notoriety like Charles Swindoll.

R6 Queen Elizabeth II thought George W Bush was funny

Jimmy Carter needs to stay home. We can’t lose him too.

The Queen liked W and the Obamas personally so I can see them there. The family disliked Carter because he kissed the Queen Mother on the lips during a 1977 visit. He did the same thing to Jackie Onassis and she wanted to kill him.

[quote]Queen Elizabeth II thought George W Bush was funny

Well that's a good reason for him to attend her funeral.

Maybe not at the funeral as you say but Paul McCartney should definitely be there. "Her majesty's a pretty nice girl"

PSB should get an invitation.

Justin Bieber, John Waters, Antonio Biaggi

John Lydon, American citizen since 2013.

Real American royalty will be there: Donald and Melania Trump, the real President and First Lady of the United States of America.

Would Elton John be an appropriate attendee? Too show biz?

I think Biden should go. And it will give him a chance to meet the new Prime Minister.

R12 and R13 clearly have reading comprehension issues.

You too R17.

Madonna, in assless chaps.

Barbra Streisand, politely asking the corpse a few questions.

The ghost of Joan Crawford, giving side-eye.

The ghost of Lauren Bacall, striking a match on the coffin.

Oprah Winfrey, looking svelte in that foil-wrap thing Nicole Kidman wore for Balenciaga.

Stephen King, carrying a shovel.

To her credit, no one can say she lived her life like a candle in the wind.

Elton John at the piano of course

It can only fit 1,900.

[quote]Maybe Jimmy Carter.

Fuck you, R7.

Paul McCartney has multiple homes around the world, OP. He didn’t “move to the US.” He is usually in Amagansett around September/October.

Billy Eichner, Ross Matthews, Mario Cantone, Jonathan Van Ness and Matteo Lane are hosting a cruise to the funeral on The Queen Mary. This has been in the works for a while.

Only Jill Biden will attend, not Joe. If I recall, only Hillary attended Princess Diana's funeral.

Thing to remember about inviting POTUS and all those FPOTUS (and or their wives) is all require secret service security detail. Britain isn't going to pay so American tax payers would be on the hook. That also goes for transportation to and from GB along with accommodations while in England.

[quote] R6] Queen Elizabeth II thought George W Bush was funny

Did he call her Queeny?

Maybe America’s queen, LadyG

"Elton John at the piano of course"

"Goodbye, Lilibet- though I barely knew you at all..."

President Biden will not be there. I don't know why many of you think he will. Jill will probably be there along with the Obamas, Bushes and Clintons.

R33

Quite right, for POTUS to attend funeral he would have to leave things to vice president for duration of his time out of the USA. That is just not going to happen.

Will Dubya discreetly grab a handful of Michelle Obama's ass?

Meghan Markle

Donald Wolfitt

Virginia Giuffre?

I'll say this, if either or both of the Obamas are invited and the Orange Lunatic is not; there will be hell to pay in media. Trump will go ape shit that he was passed over for some "colored" persons.

Ditto if the Obamas are invited to King Charles III's coronation.

I will go against the grain and say Joe Biden will be there in person. He is known for experiences with grief, I don’t think he would attend a coronation or big wedding, but a big funeral is his thing.

Sir Paul will absolutely be there. The Osbournes?? No.

The Queen liked Presidents that got elected to second terms not losers.

Everyone knows Dump would make it all about Dump.

NFW he's invited.

We have to have the obligatory shot of George W. giving Michelle a candy. It's a tradition!

If funeral of George VI is any guide, think many posting on this thread will be sorely disappointed.

As noted Westminster cathedral does not have unlimited seating resources. Large number of those who attend will be there by right due to their status or position within BRF, royal household, Peers of the Realm, Life Peers, government, etc....

Don't forget there are still a good number of foreign royalty who were related to Elizabeth or Charles III who would score an invite over Americans. By virtue of being royals related or not many still would jump queue over Americans.

Biden can fly to countries and be President on the road. What the fuck is wrong with you people?

Not American but Kylie Minogue will be there.

The Kardashians, of course.

The Kardashian’s will try to get good seats, but will fail, so they won’t go.

I’ve invited the entire cast of Suits!

I will definitely be there! I’ve watched the video of Her Majesty peeing on me 5 times today. I’m so f – – king sad she was such a great gal.

I understand there will be an 'all you can eat' buffet later at the palace. So, you can assume they'll have a great turnout.

[quote] "assless chaps"

Oh, dear.

Koo Stark.

Count me in R51.

[quote]As noted Westminster cathedral does not have unlimited seating resources.

Worse, it's Catholic.

I don't think Joe will go. The security would be too disruptive - you know what a show they put on. When George VI died they sent the Secretary of State. Whoever thought the Obamas might represent is probably closer to correct.

Will Kamala go, that’s usually the VP’s job?

There’s not really a “usually” for this occasion - this is the longest-serving British monarch ever, and one who was alive (and serving in the war effort!) as part of the Allied Forces. It calls for the highest diplomatic protocol there is.

I agree that djt will throw a huge fit when he finds out the Obamas got invited and he didn’t.

Then, MTG it is!

Dump will shit his diaper.

Gay boy, do you like dress I chosed to honor dead old lady?

Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox will be there making out next to the coffin and taking selfies.

We shall know in a few days either way. State funerals for monarchs normally are held between 10-12 days after demise. Plans for Elizabeth II's funeral were long draw up, perhaps modified as time went on, but bulk of it is already done, names will have to be slotted in....

This will be the most impressive list of invitees in a long time.

[quote] Barrak & Michelle Obama

Who?

Bill Gates

Steven Speilberg

Megan Thee Stallion will be there as an honored guest to perform a special version of WAP dedicated to the Queen.

Will and Sarah Farish of Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky.

The Obamas are definite invitees--the Queen absolutely adored them, especially Michelle. You can tell from the photos of them together--she rarely smiled so big in the presence of any other head of state and his or her spouse.

I would guess the UK will invite all living former presidents as a matter of course for the death of the head of state, though, and thus I would expect the Trumps to attend as a result just to cement their visibility. (I would bet he will hate the prospect of beign asked to sit with the Obamas and the Bushes, but he would never give up this opportunity to be included among the Big Boys.) I doubt the palace would break protocol even if the Queen despised Trump (the only place I have ever read, btw, is Datalounge, and I have never heard any proof whatsoever of this. I think it's because most DLers loathe Trump and adored the queen so much that they assume she'd loathe him too, but she rarely disliked anyone other than Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, and that was mostly because she had to deal with them so much and their manners got ion her nerves. She even liked Diana until Diana started sobbing all the time whens he came to see her.

Trump's under investigation for espionage. No way will he be invited.

I think Jimmy Carter was an #AssGrabber.

I'll be there so fuck every single one of you.

I doubt many celebrities will be invited--it will all be politicians and royals.

This is a state occasion, not a family occasion like Harry's wedding--they are not burying Betty Windsor but the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Trump can't go because he'll cause a riot by claiming that King Charles is a, fraud, and he stole the crown right out from under him.

[quote] As noted Westminster cathedral does not have unlimited seating resources.

You mean Westminster Abbey, where the funeral service will be held.

There is a Westminster Cathedral, but it is London's Roman Catholic Cathedral on the south side of the Thames. The queen's funeral will not take place there.

Angelina Jolie is going to be PISSED when she isn't invited. Prepare to be bombarded with additional lawsuits, Brad. She'll be lashing out!

I'm leaving the planet if I see a single Kardashian.

Biden had better be there.

[quote]Biden can fly to countries and be President on the road. What the fuck is wrong with you people?

She's not a major head of state, dumbass. It is not important that he be there.

I thought QE2 *liked* Tony Blair. From what I've read, most of the royals are (quietly) sympathetic to Labour, and Tony Blair seems like he would have been the poster child for Respectable Establishment Labour.

I do know that QE2 made little effort to hide her absolute dislike for Margaret Thatcher.

I think the Osbourne family and a lot of celebrity & wealthy British (now American-residing) families will make pilgrimages to Britain over the next 10 days. They won't get anywhere near the state events, but they'll feel like it's something they have a duty to do (and, for those with young children (or grandchildren), a last-ditch attempt to infuse a bit of British culture into them before they grow up as de-facto Americans). Carbon-counting nature nazis are going to be foaming at the mouth by the time they get through adding up all the private jets that will be flying to Britain over the next 2 weeks.

Both Bidens will attend. Princess Diana’s funeral was not a comparable event.

Agree that Trump will go apeshit if the Obama’s and Bush’s are invited, but not him.

Whoever thinks the cost of security for the the president of the United States and his wife is an issue is not very smart. It doesn’t fucking matter what it costs. The most powerful nation in the world can afford to send two people to a funeral.

Trump will be there. Bet money on it.

[quote]This will be the most impressive list of invitees in a long time.

This is the apex of state funerals. It is hard to imagine there being another like it.

[quote]She's not a major head of state, dumbass.

Not sure I'd use dumbass in that sentence, but thanks for coming out.

R80 open a book. The King or Queen is head of state of Britain Scotland and Northern Ireland. Head of State of 14 14 Commonwealth countries! QE2 is the definition of MAJOR HEAD OF STATE. AND, a MONARCH.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland

R83, I'll bet you $10K he's not.

You can't be serious.

r87 I believe she is still recognized as the monarch (pr was) of Canada and Australia?

"Trump will be there. Bet money on it."

And hopefully, when he tries to return, he'll be barred from reentering the US for his treasonous activities.

[quote] I thought QE2 *liked* Tony Blair.

No--she didn't like him.

r88 Oh I am. His ego will not let him be ignored. You just know if Clintons, Bushs and Obamas are going he will kick and scream partisan if he is not going.

Shawn Mendes will be there. He won't be wearing a shirt, but he's planning to shave his pit hair out of respect.

R92, the Brits don't have to give a fuck what he thinks. And certainly not his low-life trash supporters.

He didn't even attend the Biden inauguration. He's owed less than no respect. he has no respect for the United States, the Brits have no obligation to entertain that criminal terrorist fuckhead.

Didn't Kim Kardashian try to show up at some royal thing and they were like, bitch you have no power here!

If the treasonous and false ex President is not invited and throws a fit, who fucking cares? It wouldn’t be an American decision so why would his brain dead supporters act out?

I think he might be too embarrassed to throw a fit and spotlight that he wasn’t invited. He would rather lie and say he was invited (or begged) to come but declined.

The resurrected corpse of John Lennon. Her entire bulging closet of purses, arranged artfully in the first row of the church. A wax statue of Winston Churchill. The cast of EastEnders. The guy on the corner (any corner) who yells "OY" and throws chips around with abandon.

[quote] Barrak & Michelle Obama

The man was president for eight years and you can't spell his name?

Princess Diana's was not an actual state funeral, despite its size; nor was Prince Philip's. Even the Queen Mother's was only a ceremonial funeral since she was simply a queen consort. The last full state funeral before this one was in 1966 for Sir Winston Churchill. Usually it is reserved only for the monarch (although very rarely it will be given for a major general who affected british history (like Lord Roberts or Lord Nelson), or a major prime minister (like Churchill or Gladstone). VERY rarely the honor is awarded to a Brit who made world history for one reason or another: Sir Isaac Newton was given one in 1727, and Edith Cavell--the great martyr-nurse of the first World War, who was a huge national heroine--was given one in 1919, four years after she died.

The Queen's will be bigger than any of these. It will be the biggest one since George VI's state funeral in 1952. There will almost certainly be no eulogies, only a formal service by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Heads of state will be invited and will walk behind the funeral cortege through the streets of London (as they last did in 1952) as the "Dead March" from Handel's "Saul" is played. There will be no Elton John singing pop anthems in the Abbey, nor are Adele or Harry Styles likely to be invited.

The state funerals for dead sovereigns and the coronations are the two most formal events you can have in the British monarchical system--there is no room for informality or levity of any kind, as there can be in royal weddings.

This is Handel's "Dead March"--it is played at the funerals of all major royals, and especially the moanrchs, when their funeral cortege goes through the streets. Pt was played at the funerals for Prince Philip and the Queen Mother.

[quote]I think he might be too embarrassed to throw a fit and spotlight that he wasn’t invited

You seriously think that sack of orange dogshit is capable of feeling embarrassed?

Bush, Obama, Clinton, Biden (Mrs)

This is a state funeral of a magnitude none of us have seen in their lifetimes who were born after 22 November 1963.

This is going to be HUGE.

The Crowned Heads of Europe (the Nordics, Belgium, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Spain), and the Middle and Far East (Japan and the Gulf State sheikhs).

The Heads of State and/or spouses: most of the EU, and representatives from the 54 Commonwealth nations including those still in from Pakistan, Africa, the Caribbean, and India.

An assortment of religious leaders, including emissaries of the Pope, Eastern Orthodox Patriarch, and leaders of Britain's biggest Muslim and Jewish organisations.

Heads of the patronages still held by the Queen, prominent artists, and, of course, the enormous family.

Huge.

And this is the funeral music Purcell wrote for the death of Mary II in 1695. It is much more depressing than even the Handel music, but is also always played now at the funeral of a monarch.

Billie Eilish will sing a mumbled, half-whispered rendition of God Save the Queen.

I need to update my post @ r93. It's now been reported that Shawn Mendes is bowing out of his plans to attend the funeral for mental health reasons.

R83. There is video showing Charles subtly flipping Trump off…within 5 feet of him during a receiving line.

There is no fucking way the Orange Turd will be invited.

The Obamas definitely, one or both Bidens. No Clintons or Bushes to get around not inviting Trump.

I’d never heard that Dead March before, it’s beautiful.

They'd better not let Cheeto go.

Is he even allowed to travel right now?

Mary Tyler Moor

Queen Latifah

I think the way it works is there will be an official delegation from the U.S. and The President appoints them. So he & Jill will head a d elegation that will probably include the Bushes, Maybe Dick Cheney or McConnell, (Yes McConnell) The Clintons, and the Obamas. Maybe the Obamas will stay home so they don't take attention away from Joe & Jill. Whatever. Now Maybe he will let Kamala go to the funeral.But maybe not. This is not some random, this is The Queen.

Will GWB do his funeral dance?

Let's hope The Psycho of California stays in Montecito.

There's no way Joe Biden AND Kamala Harris will BOTH be at the funeral. From a "continuity of government" perspective alone, it would be completely insane.

For all intents and purposes, we're de-facto at war with Russia... and it really won't matter HOW much security they have on the ground if Putin decides the temptation of taking out literally 95% of the world's senior leaders with a single nuclear warhead sounds like a good idea.

That's why I also think Britain will hold its nose and roll out the red carpet to Putin and as many senior Russian officials as they can... possibly offering to "free up" a whole bunch of oligarch assets if he comes & brings them along. They'll figure that if Putin & friends are at the funeral, there won't be any nuclear warheads heading for London while they're in town.

It's the same reason why Zelensky won't be there. Zelensky is arguably the one person holding Ukraine together by a wispy thread. All it would take is one Spetzsnatz operative somewhere to take him out, and the war in Ukraine (and Ukraine's continued existence as an independent nation) would be *over*. Instantly. Over.

Kamala would go, not Joe

R1 And that's what I love. That no matter, what Trump knows his ignorance, lies, and hedonism will prevent him from partaking in all the classic American rituals that presidents experience. Trump is very much about image and this along with many other slights until his punk ass dies will drive him nuts.

Who does the inviting?

[quote]There is a Westminster Cathedral, but it is London's Roman Catholic Cathedral on the south side of the Thames. The queen's funeral will not take place there.

Careful of half wrong corrections, R76. Westminster Cathedral is indeed Catholic, but it's a few blocks from Buckingham Palace - on the north side of the Thames.

[quote] There is video showing Charles subtly flipping Trump off…within 5 feet of him during a receiving line.

I really doubt this ever happened (you of course provided no link), and even if it did, Charles's personal feelings would not be material.

He is now the head of state, and he must treat Trump as a former head of state.

This isn't high school, nor is it Hollywood. This funeral is a state matter.

You're correct and I was wrong, r119.

I want music for the funeral of Queen Mary played at MY funeral.

They sometimes play the Handel and the Purcell royal funerary pieces for the funerary corteges of famous American politicians and generals too.

R28 There is no comparison with HRC going to Diana's funeral. Diana was not head of state or even part of the Royal Family when she died. There really wasn't protocol for who should go, so sending HRC was a nice gesture. The default choice here is Biden.

I thought she genuinely liked Trump?

Right, R99, Everyone knows it's 🍀Barack O'Bama.

Queen Elizabeth, one of the world's greatest socialites & welfare Queens died today.

She really made her mark in the 20th century.

No one knows whether Elizabeth II liked Trump or not. Any Datalounger who tells you otherwise is simply making assumptions and talking through his ass.

The Queen almost never made it clear whom she liked, and of course she never told anyone except her family (and her diaries, which will be kept sealed for deacdes). The only ones whom most of her biographers are pretty certain she genuinely liked were the Trumans and the Obamas, and that's mostly because she was clearly so happy and unguarded and relaxed when she was with both families. She may have liked the others or not liked them as the case may be, but she always appeared friendly and generous towards them, which was her job.

By tradition, it's likely that only the President Biden and his wife will be invited. (Former US presidents are never invited to state occasions in the UK).

Will Kim Khardashian be there? Or Bella Hadid?

I honestly don’t think the Bushes or even the Clintons will be invited.

There’s a shit ton of people from all over the world that are going to attend. Seats for possibly 2 former Presidents and wives will be hard to come by.

Even if invited, I don't think Biden will go. Not after two bouts of covid. Jill might go. What moron upthread suggested DICK CHENEY??! He's about a thousand years old with a plastic heart. This is a long flight for some of these geezers. I think Trudeau will be there.

And just for the record, it's Westminster ABBEY, not "cathedral" - Westminster Abbey is pretty small and divided into three sections.

Here's a list of Americans who received honorary knighthoods: most of them are dead, except Kevin SPACEY and GUILIANI! hahahahaha!

Here's the list -

Fat boy has probably had his people on the phones all day long trying to wrangle an invite to the funeral. If he doesn't get to go he's going to go ballistic. He'll probably claim Biden told the Royals to make sure they didn't invite him or anyone in his family.

Joe will decline and have a replacement group (Obamas, Clintons, maybe Bush).

There is NO WAY Trump will go. Nancy Pelosi, on the other hand, may go if she can hitch a ride with Jill.

I thought GWB couldn’t leave the US for fear of being arrested as a war criminal. I honestly don’t know if he’s been out of the US or not since he left office in 2009.

R137, He has.

Will Elton John be rewriting one of his songs, again?

Well, if Joe sends a representative he'll obviously send the Obamas.

U.S. allies are aware of the allegations against donald, particularly the ones involving his stealing thousands of classified documents, some of which reveal the nuclear secrets of at least one unidentified country.

Read my lips: NO WAY IN HELL IS donald ON THE INVITATION LIST!!

I read that the Queen met every president from Truman to Biden, except LBJ. Why the snub on him?

The Royals of all European monarchies are related to Queen Elizabeth. Expect to see most of them and their spouses. Many Prime Ministers and Presidents of the Commonwealth nations, along with those from other countries as well. British Ambassadors to and from many countries. The first hundred in the line of succession of the royal family (some are already mentioned). Sirs and Dames appointed by the Queen, members of the Order of the Garter and other regal organizations.

Royals weddings invite celebrities from around the world. The British will hold the funeral close to the vest. They don't want any celebrities to overshadow the Queen herself.

The American presidents and their spouses will not be "tiered" into different groups and they certainly won't be splitting any couples up...why would they banish Pickles separate from W? Did she clog up the loo in buckingham palace? OP is delirious. There are protocols to international diplomacy and Presidents/first ladies always sit together at funerals.

r142 Queen Elizabeth II never met President Lyndon Johnson during his presidency and was unable to attend John F. Kennedy's funeral because she was pregnant with Prince Edward.

R142. Don't think it was a snub. LBJ made relatively few foreign trips. I think he didn't go anywhere for a year or so after JFK was killed and he was re-elected. Even then he didn't travel that much. By that time jets existed, so he certainly could have done more. The Queen came to the US but not every year or two. So it just didn't work out, not a snub.

R142-- not so much a snub as conflicting schedules during his term. Queen Elizabeth was pregnant with Prince Edward while President Johnson was dealing with the war in Vietnam and the backlash at home.

Kim Kardashian won't be invited but she will attempt to move mountains in order to get an invite.

[quote] The Obamas are definite invitees--the Queen absolutely adored them, especially Michelle. You can tell from the photos of them together--she rarely smiled so big in the presence of any other head of state and his or her spouse.

I can bet that every English child's playroom before the war had clowns and golliwogs.

Honestly, I would love to see Hillary there.

She’s living her best life right now and seeing her at such a grand, if somber, event would be amazing.

Show this country that Hillary is a well-respected abroad.

We don't send losers, R150. If she goes, she will be on the arm of her husband, where she should have stayed.

Pussy Galore

Megan Thee Stallion

Shelley Hack

Lola Falana

Fuck off, R151.

Asshole.

R118 - I think it is the Home Office.

This entire thread cracks me up as people think that really any celebrities (either US or UK) would even be considered.

There are 'positions' in the UK where the 'right' to attend a State Event such as this is actually part of the 'benefits', if you will, of having that 'position'.

Even US citizens with honorary titles may (probably won't, actually) not make the grade.

Did she ever fuck any other man other than Philip? was she a virgin?

All the kings and queens from all over the world will be invited, even the tyrannical ones. They are her peers.

I wonder if the King of Thailand will show up with all his concubines.

R155 Don't be vulgar and respectful on this awful day.

Probably Jill Biden will go with Kamala Harris. Foreign funerals are traditionally the Veep's job.

It would be tacky of Trump to show up wearing an ankle bracelet.

The security at this event is going to be off the charts. I can't even believe they're going to attempt it.

The only funeral that will be more spectacular than this one will be Cher's.

Assuming she does eventually die.

Elton, maybe. But for god's sake no special song, you annoying twat!

I think Joe goes himself. The Obamas as well. I don't think you can compare this funeral to ones in the past where representatives for the POTUS were sent

Churchill’s funeral was a state funeral at Elizabeth’s insistence. Almost every country in the world sent a representative.

r161 it would be similar to the G7 in terms of security detail and heads of state being in one place.

I read the official funeral will only last 1 hour. However it is optically a huge deal of course, and Joe Biden is likely to attend. Its very brief and they can jump back on AF1 and return immediately. Its definitely not Aretha Franklins day-long traditional Baptist homegoing!

Wow, r103. A terrorist organization could really fuck shit up if they targeted that funeral.

Doesn't the US usually send the Vice President to foreign funerals?

Kamala, meet Camilla. Camilla, meet Kamala.

R168 usually but the Queen counts for more than most foreign dignitaries. The White House lowered the flag to half-mast.

R164, it depends if that is the right thing to do. Maybe the focus should be on Queen Elizabeth. I think Joe should go.

[quote]Who does the inviting?

I mean, I would assume all the living former PMs, plus Truss, plus Starmer as the leader of the opposition. For the Commonwealth Realms, is it just the Governors General, or the PMs as well? Drakeford and Sturgeon, I assume, and since he’s formerly Sinn Fien, probably not the Speaker of the NI Assembly.

Rowan Atkinson, since he and Charles were school chums…

[quote]Who does the inviting?

If they're smart, Princess Anne. She will cut through the nonsense, and you will not fuck with Princess Anne!

Prince Harry minus Meghan

Queen Camilla will be there.

Wearing ALL THE JEWELS r176! Appropriate? I don't know. But she's waited patiently. Time to loot the damn Tower of London!

I always eyeroll at “the Queen and the Obamas were SUCH good friends, they genuinely liked each other.” Uh huh. It’s a nice story I guess. People enjoy it.

r178 = djt

R179 Like I said, it’s a nice story, enjoy it. Doesn’t hurt anybody.

As long as none of the Trumps, Kardashian-Jenners, Oprah, Harry Styles, or Meghan attends it's all good.

It's why I'm pushing to have Princess Anne oversee this whole thing r181. And stand at the entrance with a clipboard, and THAT LOOK.

[quote]Fuck off, [R151].Asshole.

My hubris didn't lose key states and give us Trump, who is on the verge of starting a civil war. So fuck her now and forever.

Whatever Bernie. By the way, you're not going.

None, because I won't be seeing the funeral.

Adele doesn't think Westminster Cathedral is up to par.

R103 is the only one paying attention. This is a major state funeral. I actually believe President Biden will attend. No way Trump or Kamala get invites.

Tom Cruise will absolutely be invited and attend.

I've already decided not to attend - too overwhelming!

Will you be screaming in private, r188?

The question is will Anna Wintour attend?

Also will Meghan's mum be invited?

You can sure as hell bet Oprah, after that interview, won't ever be invited again to anything Royal.

Watch out for Muslim terrorists.

Also, you can be sure Daniel Craig and his wife will attend.

Not Americans, but Helen Mirren will be there dressed as Queen Elizabeth ll, Tracy Ullman will be there as Judi Dench, Judi Dench will be there as Queen Elizabeth l.

Barrak?

The Olsen twins

[quote] Adele doesn't think Westminster Cathedral is up to par.

What relevance does that have? It's been repeatedly established on this thread that the Queen's funeral will not be at Westminster cathedral, the Roman Catholic cathedral in London, but at Westminster Abbey, an entirely separate (and much, much older) church in the Anglican faith.

The Queen was not a Roman Catholic. She was the head of the Anglican faith.

Oh, yes, I understand she was head of her little Christian sect.

[quote]Also, you can be sure Daniel Craig and his wife will attend.

Queen Elizabeth left specific instructions for James Bond involving one final overseas assignment.

No, you may NOT jump out of a plane with the corpse, Daniel!

Who will represent our Queer Nation ae the funeral? I think Elton would do us proud. He could borrow Lizzies blackshroud.

[quote] Who will represent our Queer Nation ae the funeral?

Prince Edward, of course

Damn, I totally want Edward to come out at the funeral.

Sing out, Louise!

Tom Cruise? Why would he be invited? Is he going to make an entrance a la Mission Impossible?

yeah, this ain't supposed to be some hollywood funeral. Pretty much every "celebrity" should be banned. Fuck em. Nobody wants them there.

The Countess LuAnn is royalty.

Countess Vaughn

Joe will not be attending. He has a long standing ear nose and eyebrow trim that week. Instead, he’s sending a convoy of American Royalty:

Carole Baskin

Ellen and Portia

Cardi B

Travis Scott

Brendad Ickson

J-Lo Afleck and her ass

Madonna and her new ass

Andy Cohen

Carrot Top

Melissa Rivers

Catlin Jenner

Dr. Oz

Toby Keith

The guy who played Eddie Monster

The guy who played Dorothy on the Golden Girls

The Former free on bail stepping in front of the coffin.

Surely they meant Tom Hardy, not Cruise.

Trump won’t go. He knows everybody there hates him and he’s chickenshit. I mean, he wouldn’t even attend those Kennedy Center Honors concerts.

Joe, Bill, Barack and W will go with their missuses.

The Obamas for sure.

Will and Jada

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This would be a nice vacay for the Bidens, Obamas and Clintons. It could be an informal summit meeting.

Joe Biden told the Daily Mail that he will "probably" go to the funeral.

It was the Queen's wishes that Dionne Warwick emcee her funeral service, just like she did for Cousin Whitney.

No way all these former US presidents and their wives will go to the funeral. There are all kinds of other royals from other countries, like Prince Albert of Monaco, etc.

Rumor has it that Lea Michelle has already offered to replace Bennie during the middle of her performance of Don’t Rain on My Parade if Wills and Harry aren’t tapping their feet.

Jeff Bezos. Depending on the funeral date and how much notice he receives when the invitation arrives, he'll arrive in London either in 40 seconds via his Blue Origin penis rocket or in two days with Prime Day delivery.

There will be a place for Bezos in the oligarch section with the Russians et al.

The only US representatives will be Joe and Jill or Kamala and Mr Kamala. No way in hell are those disgusting traitors from Florida getting anywhere near her Majesty’s funeral.

Diana Ross

Madonna- Performing Like a Prayer while fingering herself in front of the casket. She’ll be wearing her grill, a BLM t-shirt, and a lot of Ben-Gay on those arthritic knees of hers. She will end her performance by tonguing Kate and drinking Holy Water and Red Bull from a PIMP cup.

[Quote] Doesn't the US usually send the Vice President to foreign funerals?

Not for the queen.

The US and the UK have a “special relationship”

[quote] fuck shit up

An ugly expression, R167.

Dame Edna

Did the owners of The Daily Mail and The Independent murder Muriel's entire family ot something?

Did the owners of The Daily Mail and The Independent murder Muriel's entire family ot something?

Dame Maggie Smith

Dame Joanna Lumley

Jennifer Saunders

Trump on hearing he's not invited

The joke suggestions for invitees in this thread are clear and mildy amusing. What boggles the mind are the many asinine and ignorant suggestions, often just a few posts below a clear explanation that this is a major state funeral for a head of state AND a monarch, so there is along list of people who MUST be invited and 7.79 billion who cannot be invited.

Didn't both Charles and Anne hate Trump?

Julie Andrews will be there singing selections from Mary Poppins and My Fair Lady.

I do think the Queen went to see MFL at the Drury Lane. She went to a number of film premieres which were royal events. I guess she liked movies.

^ All those movies she attended were fundraising charity events.

She was forced to sit through this movie and she was angry that Robert Morley and Peter Ustinov portrayed her ancestors King George and the Prince Regent as blithering idiots.

How is this going to work? There is no way all these foreign royals and foreign dignitaries plus family and British pals of the Queen can fit in Westminster Abbey.

Junior Samples

Bonnie Franklin

Barry Williams

Cozy Morley

Peter North

Rodney Allen Ripley

The June Taylor Dancers

Burt Ward

Burt Ward is slacking off with his dog food production and my dog is pissed. Burt doesn't have time for any e'stinkin funerals.

There’s a very fine line between the joke invitees being suggested and other posters who think that the Abbey will be positively stacked with Americans.

It can be hard to tell on the DL.

Which trans will go ?

Why is this post grayed out? Who did this trigger? I'm so confused.

Wouldn't it be an epic snub if GWB, Clintons, Obamas and Bidens attend the funeral and Dump is not invited? How will the MAGAs justify this? He wasn't really interested to go anyway? Although she had the time of her life at the state dinner with him? Will they cry huge MAGA tears that the Orange lunatic doesn't get the respect he deserves?

Russ Tamblyn sat in the royal box with the Queen at the London premiere of WSS. Peters Sellers was sitting behind her and just as the movie was about to start he leaned over to her and said 'Hey lady could you remove your crown?' The Queen sat motionless not moving.

After Tamblyn said to Sellers 'How could you do that?!' And Sellers was like Oh she'll laugh about it when she gets back to the palace.

Dame Joan Collins will find a way to appear. Count on it.

Many threads just got greyed out. You have to adjust your settings to asbestos eyeballs, and they come back clear.

Unquestionably, the Bidens will go. This is THE international diplomatic ceremony of our time.

I looked at photos of John Paul II’s funeral in 2005, and George W. and Laura Bush, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, and Condi Rice attended.

St. Peter’s can seat over 10 times as many as Westminster Abbey, so I am betting on possibly only Joe and Jill.

It would be a huge missed opportunity for Biden not to attend the funeral. Billions will watch and he can show leadership on an international platform. Very important especially since it's only weeks before the midterms.

I can't understand why Biden wouldn't attend The Queen's funeral.

It would be very bad if he didn't.

I can't see Trump attending. I think it was pretty obvious the RF hates him. William snubbed him and his spawn while he invited Obama in his private home. Everyone remembers the famous photo of Prince George in his bathrobe with Obama. Anne tried to avoid to shake Dump's hand at the state dinner and was among the group who made fun of him . I think they'll make sure this vulgar person will not attend their mother's funeral.

Clintons, Obamas seems to be friends of the RF. Don't remember if they liked or were friendly with GW.

Doesn't Sir Elton move up a notch in the line of succession? I expect to see him there, probably near the front with other royals.

[Quote]Putin will not be attending the Queen’s funeral, the Kremlin says.

Lol. Like anyone would invite that fucker. But thanks for letting us know you're not interested.

The Commies assassinated members of "Windsor" family. Nicholas II was married to Alexandra Fedorovna, Queen Victoria’s granddaughter. Nicholas II was George V’s first cousin.

I mean really, people have no memories. Putin is a commie.

For obvious reasons I'm not acknowledging Trump. My guess is that Biden as well as all former Presidents (except for Trump obviously) will be invited to either her funeral or the first portion of her overall memorial. In a surprise twist, Amy Carter will go in order to represent her parents.

I like the Carter's. I live over in Memphis and that's a Habitat for Humanity friendly city for sure. He came here years ago for Habitat for Humanity in a Grape Street Crips friendly neighborhood and that really horrible street gang literally bowed down to him as extra security for him. It was surreal. Man has actual street cred if you will. The Carter's are up there in years and I'm sorry but I don't think they could get medical clearance to travel to England.

I can't think of anyone else offhand. I think The Queen if England and Anne, the Princess Royal have equestrian friends in Kentucky. Some family who own a huge horse farm that they've known for ages. There might be a handful of people like that going for all we should know.

Ultimately. There's not a lot of seating.

Maybe Prince MBS will bring Jared Kushner as his date.

But I have secrets to sell and there will be a lot of people all around there!

Nobody gives a fuck about you fatty R256.

I like monarchs who don’t die.

Donald will just show up uninvited claiming his invite was lost in the mail and the Queen personally invited him on her death bed.

Tom and Nicole, then in London filming of Eyes Wide Shut, attended Lady Diana's funeral. So stop acting like Westminster Abbey is too small. There's room.

Most of the Queen's actual friends have long since died anyway.

Clooney and Julia roberts are there now, perhaps they will. clooney went twell Harry and meghans wedding after all. He seems to have an affinity for all things royal - like most dataloungers

Why can’t they have the funeral at St Paul’s?

Biden just said he will probably go.

Yeah.

This will indeed be big. There hasn't been a UK state funeral in 57 years (the funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965).

This isn't the Met Gala, people. Julia Roberts isn't going to a State Funeral of QEII

Remember me? You wouldn’t let me attend the queens state funeral. Big mistake! Big. Huge!!!

Biden has to go. He's the current Potus. Maybe all the others wont be invited. 2,000 guest can fill up real fast and it would make logical sense just to invite the current President of each country, not every fucking leader from the past. Plus the security would be a nightmare.

On the plus side, if they do invite all the former ones, Trump will not be on that list and there will be another famous pic of all the presidents together in one shot except for Dump.

Hopefully people under criminal investigation are not invited to a state funeral, no matter what their positions are or were, and that would keep Jabba The Trump off the invitation list. Plus, it's a known fact that Charles and William both can't stand Trump.

One thing I hope and pray Charles will do as King is push back hard on the more overtly unpleasant tasks the Monarch has historically been required to do. Like having to host someone like Donald Trump (when he was POTUS). He should just tell the government "fuck no I'm not entertaining scum like that, so you can just have the Prime Minister do it at #10".

The editors of Pink News should be front and center.

For a more inclusive Britain!

Actually, that is the PRIMARY job of the king, to be head of state. So he is obliged, unless out of the country or ill

Biden announced this morning that he will attend the funeral in person.

He was just waiting for the formal invitation.

[quote] No one knows whether Elizabeth II liked Trump or not. Any Datalounger who tells you otherwise is simply making assumptions and talking through his ass.

[quote]The only ones whom most of her biographers are pretty certain she genuinely liked were the Trumans and the Obamas, and that's mostly because she was clearly so happy and unguarded and relaxed when she was with both families.

Why is it "talking through your ass" when someone says the Queen didn't like Trump, based on the looks she had when he was late and walking in front of her, but it's "pretty certain" when it's based on the look on her face when she was with the Trumans and Obamas?

I can't see that all former presidents would be invited. They aren't going to be able to invite all former heads of state of all the countries they have a significant relationship with, so they won't do it for the U.S., either. Everyone from Carter to Biden? That's highly unlikely.

I don't know what all the guesses that involve celebrities are about, and I'm just going to hope that those replies are all jokes.

Well I guess they have to invite a certain number of Americans since we're their biggest ally. Who would you invite instead of former presidents? Kardashians?

The Bidens and maybe Congressional leaders. MAYBE some Republican for the sake of bipartisanship. Very small number of people. Could be just the Bidens. I actually like the Clintons, but there is just no case for them going (or for the Obamas). Clintons will probably go to Tony Blair's funeral, if they're still around, because they worked with him and were friendly with him, but that's different.

Another needlessly greyed out thread. Who is doing that? Eatwhen? LSA GURLS?

R224, 😆 🤣 😂 😹

R278 people are so touchy nowadays. It's the internet for fuck sake.

Biden is going. Just announced

I think it will depend on how many other heads of state attend. Informally, a lot of work gets done at funerals. So maybe Joe will go.

They are not going to pack the Queen's funeral with a bunch of celebrities.

The Clintons crashed Tim Russert’s funeral. Caused a commotion. I don’t remember who gave them their seats.

It isn't grayed out for me, r278.

OK, here are my guesses, since there are lots of guesses on this thread.

1. NO SPOUSES. If the President or King or PM of a nation is invited, there will be no plus ones. So if Biden goes, he will go alone. Why the fuck would his wife go? Or the spouses of any of those leaders?

2. Since the Abbey is not all that large as far as seating goes, there will be a large focus on people who were close to the Queen. First off, besides immediate family (barring Harry's wife, I bet). Then extended family, including cousins, etc. All those lesser royals one saw seated at the Jubilee service at St. Paul's

3. Then European Royals who are relatives. These will include spouses. Think of all the royals who attended the memorial service for Prince Philip.

4. A single representative from each member of the Commonwealth. That was QEII's important legacy. I am fairly certain we will see the King of Tonga who is the great grandson of the Queen of Tonga who famously delightedly attended Queen Elizabeth's coronation and who became a great favorite of QEII.

5. UK Government and representatives from walks of life in the UK.

6. I'm betting on close staff attending. Angela Kelly, for one.

The Queen herself probably made a list of people she would want to attend. Look at the list of those attending Prince Philip's memorial service.

I don't think the Obamas or the Clintons will be at the funeral. Trumps, definitely not.

Joe says he's going.

Queen Salote of Tonga at Elisabeth's coronation.

I said Biden wouldn't go. I'm actually shocked he's going.

Why shocked? He basically must show up. He has Air Force One at his disposal. He can cancel all plans for the day and who will fault him.

R291, to be honest, I see it as a "celebrity" funeral. I wouldn't have felt that way a long time ago, but it just seems like one now. I figured we'd send a substantial representation, but not the president himself.

Which celebrities, R292

American and R290 here. I can see why QE is seen as more of a figurehead and celebrity, more connected to the church than the state (UK). In reality, though, she's connected with the Prime Ministers & government. The UK is an ally of the US, so it seems mandatory for Biden to show up at the funeral, IMO.

R27 A cruise to the funeral, on the Queen Mary?

They won't get far, considering the Queen Mary is permanently docked in Long Beach, California, and had her engines cut out decades ago.

Security is going to be extraordinary with the massive presence of foreign security in addition to domestic forces

[quote][R291], to be honest, I see it as a "celebrity" funeral. I wouldn't have felt that way a long time ago, but it just seems like one now.

I mean, celebrity or no, she was still head of state of our closest ally, was a beloved figure even to people who didn't like the rest of her family, and knew almost every single president of the 20th and 21st centuries.

A Kardashian, even though it would have to be wheeled into the Abbey in the bottom of a dust bin.

Anybody who thinks she's a celebrity or any of them are - well, bar two - needs to read more with an open mind.

r291, I would say QE2 checks all the boxes celebrity, head of state, all of it. She was an extraordinary figurehead of modern times. This is like the world losing it's grandmother, expect the unexpected when it comes to who will be invited.

There are protocols and logistics, but they have been planning this event for a long time and they have all the resources in the world. Even if former presidents and heads of state, and even celebrities who she survived do not attend the service proper, they will likely make arrangements for them to pay their respects that day or some point next week.

I haven't confirmed!

Those of you looking forward to spotting American “celebrities” at the funeral of Her Late Majesty The Queen will be disappointed. It’s a formal State occasion (do I even need to say that?) not the red carpet at the Academy Awards.

The Lord Great Chamberlain won’t be keeping seats free for random movie stars and their plus ones solely on the basis of them being American. Get over yourselves!

I will never get over myself!

Nobody's gonna say no to *me*, r302.

Prime Suckup!

We're free!!

Caroline Kennedy

Heh heh heh

The BRF that exists in some of your heads is far more entertaining than the real thing.

“You know me from ‘Suits?’”.

^Everyone thinks Meghan is this evil dark diabolical person. The Windsors pegged her perfectly.

I wonder if Bill Clinton will get a solo invite?

By the 1990s, not many men were giving the queen this kind of eye...

Love that pic R312. Bill just can't stop flirting.

I'm kind of looking forward to the pageantry of the funeral. I love the ritual and traditions and they'll play wonderful music and the choirs will be glorious. So we will have a ton of people there. All the European royals who called her cousin or Auntie, and the looney Grimaldis, and I'm sure Charles will have commonwealth nations prominently featured so the crowd is diverse. And I saw Justin Trudeau on TV and the poor sweet boy was in tears. He loved him some Elizabeth. Even though she is out of power, I'm sure Angela Merkel will be there and I hope Joe invites the Obamas an d the Clintons and George Bush. No Trump. That fool Jake Tapper thought he would make a joke by suggesting it would be "clever" if Joe invited Trump. Fuck him.

Justin Trudeau looked terribly upset. I wanted to hug him along with other things. Of course the Queen also knew his father so that must have made the connection even stronger.

Where will my gurl be seated?

What am I, chopped liver? I'll be there, in the front pew. With Donna and my cloned dogs.

[quote] I hope Joe invites the Obamas an d the Clintons and George Bush.

Joe can't just invite whoever the hell he wants to invite. He's already got a +1 (Jill Biden).

Babs & Liz...

Babs and King Charles fucked, she'll be there.

"Security is going to be extraordinary"

All that alpha cock...

Tom Cruise? Are you fucking kidding me?

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I said....

"Early days but never the less a short list of those likely to be invited thus far..."

R315 - Off-topic trivia: President Fidel Castro, former President Jimmy Carter, the Aga Khan and Britain's Prince Andrew were the only non-Canadian dignitaries in attendance at Pierre Trudeau's 2000 funeral.

There are going to be a lot of hurt feeling because WA just isn't large enough to seat all interested parties.

Am guessing AirBnB rates for London or anywhere near have skyrocketed, and won't come down until days after funeral is over.

Does no one realize this is The Funeral of the Century? Ghislaine Maxwell would have had a better chance of an invite than donald (or any other maga republican).

Yeah, Ghislaine might be Prince Andrew's date.

For those without cable or satellite television there will be plenty of streaming options to see coverage of Elizabeth II's funeral.

Those with decent OTA or otherwise can access network television reliably shouldn't have issues.

Edy Williams?

Is is in poor taste to hold a funeral breakfast?

Hosted a breakfast for Charles and Diana's wedding, didn't bother for Diana's funeral though (wasn't feeding a bunch of moochers again....). But may feel up to having another this time.

R101, that is some of the most glorious pieces of music that I have ever heard!

Thank you for sharing it with us. 🙏🏽

When pushed Trump women can wear black and dress modestly. Melania Trump ought to be invited given her husband's considerable business assets in Scotland.

Plenty of people have considerable business assets in Scotland R334.

It’s a fucking State Funeral, not a networking event in Vegas.

Some of you people have NFI.

Ok Miss Ghurl take a Valium and relax. It was a fucking joke.

Doubt it but nice try!

No way should the target of a criminal investigation for espionage be allowed to leave the country. (His passport has expired anyway.)

I was going to ask mother if I could invite a bunch of hookers but she expired first.

Wasn’t Dump’s passport seized as evidence, since it found stashed among all the top-secret government documents he stole?

JLo will be performing at half-time.

Henry Kissinger with JLo as his plus one. ^

Questions arose surrounding donald's possessing a questionable passport (diplomatic, I think) discovered among his three-piece collection. Natch, the media failed to follow up.

Will be interesting to see what names Biden puts together for American delegation to funeral for Elizabeth II. Where will POTUS and his wife along with rest stay while in London? Don't think residence of US ambassador to UK has huge amounts of spare accommodations.

R344, actually, I think they do stay at the US embassy. This should be easy to find out, where did Dump and Obama stay?

Winfield House looks large enough...

The Obamas will be there, trust me.

I don't think so R347. I think if the Obamas visit it will be at another date in the future. Maybe they will go to the coronation. But really, The Obamas were friends with The Queen and Prince Phillip. Both are gone so I think they may participate in something else to remember The Queen.they have no need to "be seen" and there's no official capacity

OP here. It looks like I was wrong. Joe and Jill Biden are going, nobody else will (officially) be joining them. And I think Trump is the reason. The BRF doesn't want him anywhere near Britain, but the only way it can keep him away without officially slighting him is by limiting the invitation to the current President and his wife.

I'm sure the Obamas, Bushes, and Clintons are pissed, or at least disappointed... but I think they all understand the reason why & agree with the logic.

The BRF might dislike Trump, but it has to tread carefully. King Charles is already starting out on very thin ice among American Republicans due to his vocal environmentalism, and has to tiptoe on eggshells to avoid harming Britain's "soft power" with American officials. If they invited Obama, Bush, and Clinton... but openly shunned Trump... it would eventually harm Britain's relationship with the US the next time the Republicans ended up in charge. I think Charles will end up harming it anyway, but it would be the difference between "tension and lack of respect" vs "overt hostility". If US Republicans and Fox News started beating the drums and classifying King Charles (and by extension, Britain) as "the enemy", that would be a very, VERY Bad Thing™.

Or maybe USA representation was capped at two people, like all the non-Commonwealth realms (which are allowed four representatives - Governor General and spouse, Prime Minister and spouse) and you’re overthinking it.

Or maybe to avoid awkward distractions like having 2 Epstein island visitors in the same place at the same time (Andrew and Bill Clinton).

The Times:

President Biden caught the White House off guard on Friday when he told reporters he planned to travel to London for the Queen’s funeral.

Past presidents have not attended the last two state funerals in Britain — for George VI in 1952, and Winston Churchill in 1965 — but Biden will be among the scores of heads of state and government to arrive in the capital before the service next Monday.

r350, I think it comes down to plausible deniability. The fact is, the US isn't a mere "non-Commonwealth realm". The political interests of the US and UK are so intertwined, I don't think even the governments themselves really know where one interest begins and the other ends anymore. If Trump were a non-factor & Biden politely asked for permission to bring the Clintons, Bushes, and Obamas & promised the others would stand in the corner with the Secret Service instead of taking seats, I seriously doubt whether anyone would have said "no", especially when you consider HOW MANY Secret Service agents will be standing in that corner ALREADY. Unfortunately, Trump fucked things up for everyone.

Look at it this way... suppose the Queen were still alive, and it were Biden's funeral. Even IF the official policy were "top official only", NOBODY in Washington would have even CONTEMPLATED saying "no" if the UK Home Office(?) officially asked us to make an exception for the UK and allow BOTH the Prime Minister AND Queen to attend. Some people would have undoubtedly grumbled about favoritism... but nobody would have been genuinely shocked by either the request or the certain exception.

Maybe I'm over-thinking it, but I'm convinced that if Trump *doesn't* decide to fly to Britain uninvited "to pay his respects" (expecting to be allowed into Westminster Abbey anyway, invited or not), it'll be because someone at the Justice Department discreetly told his attorney to tell him that it has a petition ready to give to a judge asking the court to declare him a flight risk and suspend his passport if it gets even a WHIFF of a rumor from the Secret Service that he's planning to go... after his plane is already in the air and on its way to the UK, if necessary (so he'd be denied entry to the UK at the airport). And I have no doubt the US could find a judge willing to give it immense latitude to make that request, partly on unspoken grounds of "national interest" (even if that national interest has nothing directly to do with the case at hand, and everything to do with keeping DJT from making an ass of himself in front of our most important ally).

There is not enough room for everyone. That is why. At least that's what they're saying.

That sounds, right, R354. The capacity inside the cathedral is 2000.

But, but - it’s the USA! We should get as many seats as we want!

I doubt the Royals only invite the Bidens to the funeral. The US is their most important ally. I would be shocked if the Obamas and Clintons are not invited. They are actually friends and have a long history. Would the Palace usually allow Biden a delegation of x people and they all have to go together? Maybe the Palace doesn't want any senators or democrats at the funeral and will invite the former presidents separately.

Inviting former presidents is also a symbol of shared history and continuance.

Why on earth would members of the US Senate be invited to the Queen’s funeral?

If it meant that Trump would have required an invitation, then they would have most certainly limited the invite to two people.

Some of you seem to see this as a networking event to repay political favours as people catch up around the catafalque.

In all seriousness, I think that on at least one of the days when she's lying in state, instead of having people slowly file past all day, they should have just rented Wembley and Twickenham stadiums & scheduled staggered public viewings 2 hours apart all day:

* Mourners arrive at stadium #1 and get seated. Half the BRF greets random people as they arrive.

* Charles and coffin arrive at stadium #1. Charles speaks. Crowd sings "God Save the Queen". Meanwhile, mourners are arriving at stadium #2 while the other half of the BRF greets random people as they arrive.

* Charles and coffin leave stadium #1, drive 30 minutes to stadium #2 while mourners exit stadium #1.

* Charles and coffin arrive at stadium #2. Charles speaks. Crowd sings "God Save the Queen". Mourners arrive at stadium #1.

* Charles and coffin leave stadium #2, drive 30 minutes back to stadium #1 while mourners exit stadium #2.

* Repeat until Charles is ready to collapse from sheer exhaustion and about to have a complete breakdown after doing it so many times, he's not even sure which stadium he's at because they've just blurred together.

No American with half-a-brain *expects* to see Americans there, other than the current sitting president (or their representative). Those of us with a half-a-brain (or more) understand that this is not about US/U.S.

Wonder if Helen Marrien will be there? She did play the Queen in the Movie.

R363 She was impertinent.

The Queen had 714 members of her privy council. There are 650 members of the House of Commons and 756 members of the House of Lords. There are heads of state of nearly 200 countries, and at least 100 members of the extended royal family, including monarchs all over Europe. Who to invite and who not? It’s trickier than we think.

… and past and present British military leaders, those who have received honours from the Queen (knights and dames and others), leaders of the charities the Queen supported, former assistants and staff in the Queen’s offices through the years…

Members of the Bowes-Lyon family, members of Philip’s family, all her surviving godchildren, heads of all the main religions, her Lord Great Chamberlain and his wife.

Looking forward to the outcry here if the Head of the Free World and his wife end up sitting behind a pillar somewhere.

R353

Even if Elizabeth II were still living there was no way HM would have attended a funeral in USA for anyone, not even POTUS. Age and or health would have seen to that.

Thus only remaining question would be how high a member of BRF would be deputized to represent the monarch personally. Normally top of that list would be Prince of Wales.

Indeed then Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales did attend funeral for Ronald Reagan. Mr. and Mrs. Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher rounded out the delegation from UK.

The London based diplomatic corps including the High Commissioners for each of the 56 Commonwealth countries, Governors General for each of the fourteen countries of which Elizabeth was Queen and of which Charles is now King.

But yes, let’s make it all about the USA.

Prince Charles (then Prince of Wales) also represented Elizabeth II at GWB funeral.

Almost every world leader, king, President, etc. will be in attendance. The Prime Minister of Australia said his plane would be picking up potentates from around the Pacific as many couldn't afford the trip. This has got to be a security nightmare. What if Putin decides to bomb Westminster Abbey?

Winfield House is an exquisite mini palace.

Did the Queen attend Kennedy's funeral?

Inviting only the Biden's make sense. They can't invite every single living president and spouse along when they have to invite every other current world dignitary.

As for celebrities, those who held the royalty in the highest esteem will get an invite, and it will also be a small list. I'm think Joan Collins, McCartney (for the sentimental value), Elton John, the Beckhams.

R373, I believe the queen was pregnant with Edward.

Prince Philip attended JFK's funeral, not the Queen. A few months after, the Queen invited Jackie and her kids to Britain when a monument was dedicated to JFK at Runnymede.

Overflow dignitaries will be shuttled to Wembley stadium.

R373 Those 'celebrities' you listed aren't in QEII's generation.

If they're limiting heads of state etc. no celebrity fond of monarchy is getting in.

This is possibly the biggest funeral in history. And if not, it'll be in the top three.

Spot on R362!

I can't imagine why Americans think there would be massive numbers of Americans at the Queen's funeral with such limited spaces.

Commonwealth countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc. received an invite for their Prime Minister and their Queen's representative to attend from each country. No-one else.

This is not a "celebrity" funeral. It is a state affair and is governed by traditions and iron clad rules.

The Queen often privately visited Kentucky and had friends among the horsey set. Breeders, etc. I wonder if anyone from those families was still a part of her life. Hard to say. When you're 96 you tend to bury a lot of friends.

I have heard that Clare Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton are going to perform Let It Go, from Frozen.

Sorry, Lady C. reported that. I get confused between her, River and Lipstick Alley.

[quote]Those 'celebrities' you listed aren't in QEII's generation.

What does that have to do with it?

McCartney is basically British royalty at this point. Joan Collins and Elton John as well. The Beckham's are very close with William and Harry. All of them have worked at one point or another with Charles' Princes Trust foundation and know him quite well

If they have invites for celebrities, those would be the ones most likely to receive them.

Joan Collins also knew Elizabeth quite well socially.

[quote] If they have invites for celebrities,

They don't.

The idiot Meagan invited "celebrities" to her wedding.

A wedding is not a funeral.

Yeah, I think is one of those few cases in life where the usual assholes can't just push their way in with a big stupid Do You Know Who I Am? Yes, everybody knows, and nobody gives a fuck, twats, and you are cordially invited to fuck off!

If rich celebrities want to wander around London saluting the Queen great. Nobody give a fuck and they are free to do that.

Thank you, R385. “Invites for celebrities” - just when I think that the depths of stupidity have been reached, DL serves up another example.

This is going to be the biggest funeral of the modern age—on a par with JFK. Is anyone else going to be up early to view it? I wasn’t for Diana’s wedding or funeral, but I will be for this one. I’m sure there will be replays as well

yeah, I'll be watching those replays. I'm an even lazier bitch than I was at the time of Diana's wedding. I don't do the "early morning viewing" thing.

[quote]“Invites for celebrities” - just when I think that the depths of stupidity have been reached, DL serves up another example

Honey, nobody really gives that much of a shit. It's not THAT deep.

[quote]This is going to be the biggest funeral of the modern age—on a par with JFK. Is anyone else going to be up early to view it? I

No, aside from a handful of deranged royal syncophants on here, most people are over it already.

On par with JFK? Give me a fucking break.

R390, I said what I said. This funeral will be on a par with JFK’s. The assassination? No. But the funeral? Yes.

You’re over it, r390, but you’re here reading all the posts and commenting. And you know what? You’ll comment again!

For any doubters, here’s video of Charles subtly giving the finger to Trump.

R390 is running around the board posting similar people are over it messages.

I guess it's indifference2.0

R393, as much as I have given Dump the finger (thousands of times), and want to believe Charles did too, I think it was just an oversight on his part.

It’s been rumored he hates Dump, but has there been any solid gossip (oxymoron!) that shows he really does?

[Quote]No, aside from a handful of deranged royal syncophants on here, most people are over it already.

I have to agree. When Diana died it was shocking bc she was so young and it was unexpected. Everyone was sad and shocked. The Queen was already 96yo and everyone was expecting it. I tried to watch some of the procession and service in Edinburgh last night and I was genuinely bored. Not sure if I'll watch the funeral. Maybe a couple of minutes of all the guest arriving, but I doubt I have the energy and time to watch several hours.

I did watch watch Diana's funeral and seeing those boys behind her coffin is still haunting me. I doubt the QE2 funeral will top this. I remember there where still thousands of people alongside the roads even when her coffin left London.

I liked the Queen, but she was 96 and watching several hours of a boring funeral? No.

Oh, Honey - We fellow Queens WILL be watching The Queen's sendoff. Wouldn't miss it for the WORLD.

They're being stingy with invitations. Heads of state have been informed they are not to bring delegations; only person or persons invited (such as Biden and wife) are allowed.

So the Obamas and certainly Trumps are out.

I still wonder if the Obamas have been invited privately. Maybe the depth of the friendship was sufficient. It was the Queen's guest list. If they are going, they'd be discreet enough not to showboat about it. I give it fifty-fifty.

"We fellow Queens WILL be watching The Queen's sendoff. Wouldn't miss it for the WORLD."

Speak for yourself, queen. This queen has had sufficient.

They use celebrities and other randoms to pad an event if they don't expect a packed cathedral. That won't be the case for Betty. This is a state funeral so heads of state, and the many "cousins" from other countries will be there. I look forward to it because of the music. I always love the music the Brits play at church.

The queen was an Adele fan, I wonder if she will perform, perhaps rework the lyrics to one of her songs.

[quote] The White House lowered the flag to half-mast.

Oh, dear!

I hear tell Frieda Claxton will be there, just to kick the casket.

R309 You've missed the important point: the reality of the BRF is the reality of what it is imagined to be.

You could say the same about any regime, and a piece of currency. Socialists call it a "reified" concept. But reified or not, it still buys food.

Jesus: "Whose image is this on the coin?"

The Pharisees/Herodians: "Caesar's."

Jesus: "Then render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, and render unto God that which belongs to God."

The White House has confirmed that the Donald has NOT been invited to the Mother of All Funerals.

I hope - and mean this - the White House especially enjoyed providing that particular confirmation, which I also hope really stung certain individuals for reasons which are well know to you.

I'm thinking it's possible Michelle Obama might be invited privately. The Queen was very friendly with her and invited her and her daughters to stay at Buckingham Palace a couple of times after Obama left the White House.

As there are world leaders coming from all the Commonwealth countries as well as of course all 1st world countries, it's going to be crowded.

Interesting, r408. I didn’t know that. I thought maybe the friendship thing with the Obamas was being exaggerated, but it seems it wasn’t.

I wonder if they'll invite Angela Merkel. The current German douchebag chancellor has never even met the Queen so why invite him but not Merkel? If they invite a former German chancellor, they could also invite the Obamas.

R409 the Queen's relationship with Michelle Obama appeared to be exceptional. Though I note Jenna Bush Hegar was supposed to have an interview with Camilla about her book club the day before the Queen died. Camilla's plane was late so Jenna had dinner with Charles instead and he got a call in the middle of the dinner and was whisked away in the middle of it by helicopter, presumably to the Queen's bedside. It would appear the Royals had connections with the Bushes. Maybe understandable as HW was Jenna's grandfather as well as her being Dubya's daughter.

I think Harry and Meghan planned to become the Junior Edition of the Obamas. They copied everything the Obamas did: Netflix, Spotify, writing memoirs. Unfortunately, unlike the Obamas, they had zero accomplishments. I'm sure they thought Michelle would be their godmother in their new endeavors and were very surprised when the Obamas kept them at arm's length and after the Oprah interview, Michelle sided with the Royal family. They overplayed their hand. Amateurs.

[quote]The White House has confirmed that the Donald has NOT been invited to the Mother of All Funerals.

Jeez, the Firm won't acknowledge his knighthood AND they're freezing him out of the funeral.

She loved him better than anyone. A lot of people say that.

R413 Well, you know the old saying: "Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold".

There is no "privately" about it; if HM wants someone to attend funeral that would be end of things and an invitation would be extended through proper channels.

This is not something being done on the fly; but likely roughly planned in good part months or years ago. They're just now slotting in names and doing finer bit of detail.

If HM wants to see person or persons not invited to funeral there are a dozen or so royal residences he can invite them to stay sometime in future.

Rinse and repeat within six months; King Charles looks ghastly.

THere was no need for the Obamas to be there just to go. They did have a very special relationship with The Queen and Phillip and both of them are dead. As far as I know there is no one in the family that the Obamas are particularly close to aside from Harry and Meghan and possibly William and Catherine. So they will not be in attendance.

You have a curious interpretation of why people would go to a funeral.

Unlike the Trumps, the Obamas seem to have the good sense not to make spectacles of themselves. So I would expect they would politely decline attending the funeral or not seek out an invitation.

There's no room in Westminster Abbey so the Obamas' invitation might hinge on if there's a free seat. The Obamas were close to the Queen. They were not close to Prince Harry as he learned when he and the wife tried to latch onto them and got the cold shoulder.

Just bury that old bitch already. It's been 6 days of non-stop parading around a 90 year old corpse. Even if she is well embalmed, it's got to be smelling bad by now, slow walking it in the sun? Really?

well said r412!

THe Obamas were supportive and close to Meghan and Harry...until the Oprah thing. Especially Michelle and Harry. BUT: The Obamas were never going to take sides or insert themselves into the middle of a mess with the Royal Family. I would bet you Harry and Michelle "had a talk" and she straightened him and Meghan out about how hurtful his comments were. Michelle doen't seem like someone who would bite her tongue. She would say what was on her mind. Now maybe Harry didn't like what he heard from her. Harry strikes me as someone who would treat you like an "enemy" if you disagreed with him or criticized him. He has a fragile volatile personality and a great sense of injury. He is not the most emotionally stable person in the world. Un fortunately, I don't think Michelle and Barack are close to Charles. But to the extent they could encourage William and Harry to make peace I believe they would try.

OMFG people. You are not "close" to another famous person you have met a couple times.

R424

Why on earth would you believe Mrs. Obama or anyone like her would dare to speak their mind, and insert themselves into matters that frankly are none of their business?

People make this mistake all the time, and it has cost friendships. Just because person or persons have become close to another, even welcomed into their family it just isn't done to insert themselves into matters that are none of their affair.

Most famous fictional case in point would be Charles Ryder in film "Brideshead Revisited' who takes Sebastian Flyte's side over his mother's and family. The former didn't appreciate effort, neither did latter who basically told Mr. Ryder off and threw him out of her house.

Do not believe for a moment either Barack or Michelle Obama sat the Prince Harry down. It just isn't nor wasn't any of their business.

There's going to be so much security filling up Westminster Abbey that the VIPs and heads of state are going to have to watch by peeping in through the windows.

You guys know who's attending the funeral and state reception? So far I've only seen pictures of Biden boarding AF1 and Justin Trudeau has actually arrived in the UK and paid his respects this afternoon.

The guest list has nothing to do with snubs or who's hot/not.

The Abbey is only so big, and there's a whole world of mourners to squeeze inside.

There's a list published somewhere but I can't remember where of all the heads of state, etc.

2000 seats is a lot of people. There're only 195 countries worldwide. That's 400 people if you add the spouses. And how many Royals really are there? 200? 300? I doubt they will invite every member of parliament or every Lord or Lady. So there's still plenty of room for celebrities, friends etc.

I hope the RF knows we don't want to see their second cousins from Romania. Give us a bunch of A-list celebs, musicians and politicians to make this more interesting for your international viewership. It's entertainment, baby. Don't complain about your ratings or crowd sizes if you only invite a bunch of old Royal farts and Joe Biden. (DJT)

Too many.

I wonder if there will be signs in the buses carting the Kings, Presidents, Emperors and Prime Ministers to the funeral "Don't Speak to the Driver".

R431 Donald, in what universe would it make sense NOT to invite every serving member of the country's parliament, just to save room for celebrities from another country? You're not invited, Donald. They'd leave that pew empty before they'd let you anywhere near it. And since you're no longer president and no longer hold a diplomatic passport, HMC could deny you entry to the UK. Wouldn't that be a larf?

Stick to cheating at golf, inhaling cold hamberders, and suffocating hookers with your gunt, you tub of shit.

The monarchy has been in place for over 1000 years. Do you think they care about their international viewership?

Yes, R435, I think they care very much about their international viewership.

Each year could be the monarchy's last, even after a thousand years.

What a stupid tangent. There is no connection between the endurance of the monarchy and TV ratings. Are you really that stupif?

Don't answer, you already have.

"Fewer people have been watching the State of the Union and Joint Address to Congress over the past several years, even as it becomes easier to watch the speeches online through livestreams. Analysts watched carefully to see if the trend would continue with President Joe Biden, and viewers were low, Deadline reported."

Golly, by R436's measure, the Republic is threatened.

How many of you Americans, beside the President and Mrs. Biden, have arrived at the funeral?

Do no Obamas or any other former presidents? Really thought Obama would get a private invitation.

Will Dame Emma Thompson be there? She's an old friend of Charly-Boy's.

r441, I doubt it, she's said nasty things about the queen.

442 posts and NOBODY guessed Sandra Oh would be a treasured, honored guest?

I still can't quite square exactly why Trudeau invited her

Justin Trudeau was telling a story about the first time he met the Queen when his father was PM. He was 7.

Is Justin fucking Sandra?

Were any celebrities there at all? Was Sandrah Oh alone in representing The Arts?

Elton must still be SEETHING.

Emma Thompson pretends to be a leftie so she can't be a royalist yet she didn't hesitate to accept a Damehood. Typical hypocritical champagne socialist.

I could almost swear I saw a guy who looks like Jack Whitehall seated in the crowd at the final ceremony at Windsor Castle... but I think he's currently on Will & Harry's official shitlists at the moment (for saying Kate was his first schoolboy crush, and calling Harry "Ginger Balls").

That said, I think his parents are about as royal-adjacent as you can get without actually being royalty. Like, say, Princess Diana's parents.

Not an American, but was Diana's brother at Windsor? I thought I saw him in the audience.

Answering my own question at r450. He was--didn't know the queen was his godmother.

Spencer was the surprise of the day for me, given the speech.

[quote]R253: I mean really, people have no memories. Putin is a commie.

Tommy Tuberville is as stupid as his name is.

I assume Earl Spencer got an invite as a peer of the realm, not for any other qualities he has.

The Queen was also his godmother.

Earl Spencer is the next king's uncle, you bet your ass he got an invite.

R457 he's also the ex-brother-in-law of the King and a pain in the ass. Spencer was such a hypocrite. He refused to let Diana have an apartment at Althorp only to bury her there so he could get some tourist $$$. His speech about raising his nephews: the fucker lived in South Africa and when he came back to the UK it was to spend his time getting married and divorced repeatedly. He never even looked after his own kids. He's estranged from all of them. The Spencers as a family are worse than the Windsors and if Diana was so fucked up, it's largely because of her family not the royals.