Foreign Minister likely to take part in Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral

A team led by Foreign Minister Narayan Khakda is likely to fly to London by end of this week. He will be joined by Nepali Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Gyan Chandra Acharya, for the funeral of the late British monarch, Foreign Ministry officials say Foreign Minister likely to take part in Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral

Tributes are placed following the passing of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, at the Victoria Memorial, in London, Britain, September 9, 2022. Reuters

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Post Report

Published at : September 14, 2022

Updated at : September 14, 2022 20:03

Kathmandu

Foreign Minister Narayan Khakda is likely to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II to be held in London on September 19.

Preparation is underway for Khadka’s departure to the United Kingdom (UK) at the invitation of the UK government but the final call on his participation is yet to be taken, said Sewa Lamsal, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry.

A small team led by Khakda is likely to fly to London by end of this week. He will be joined by Nepali Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Gyan Chandra Acharya, for the funeral of the late British monarch, another official at the ministry told the Post.

London will be hosting dignitaries, heads of state and government in the next few days for the funeral of the late queen at the invitation of the UK government. The funeral is set to become one of the largest gatherings of royalties and politicians in London in recent years, according to a BBC report.

Over the weekend since the British monarch’s death, invitations have gone out to some 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries, state the BBC report.

The funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey with a capacity of around 2,200 people.

Nepal and the UK have enjoyed friendly bilateral ties over the centuries since the Gurkhas have served as part of the British Army for over 200 years.

The Gurkhas have also enjoyed close ties with the monarchy prior to and during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

On Tuesday Gurkha veterans paid their respect to the late queen at the Gurkha memorial in Folkestone.

Earlier on Friday, the UK government had declared a three-day national mourning period from September 10 to 12 and decided to fly the national flag at half-mast in the government offices, Nepali Embassies and missions abroad.

Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on September 8 at Balmoral Castle, ending her 70-year reign. She was the longest-serving British monarch.

Following her demise, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Foreign Minister Khadka sent out their condolences to their British counterparts.