Chinese vice president to attend queen's funeral despite tensions
Queen Elizabeth II lies in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, in London for the third day. The Queen died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022.
Coverage for this event has ended.
Wang Qishan, China's vice president, speaks during the opening keynote speech at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Beijing, China, on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019.
Vice President Wang Qishan will attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, the Chinese government announced Saturday. He will be the special representative of President Xi Jinping.
The visit has caused controversy as some British legislators have expressed concern that the Chinese government were even invited to the funeral.
The invitation to the funeral should be rescinded over human rights abuses in the treatment of the Uyghur ethnic group, a legislator told the BBC.
Wang, who was first appointed to a largely ceremonial post of vice president in 2018, often attends events on Xi’s behalf.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Visitors pouring into central London from as far away as the U.S. and India to honor Queen Elizabeth II's death, are giving an economic boost to the area's restaurants, businesses, and hotels.
The financial boom comes as at a time when the British economy is facing a cost-of-living crisis and record-high inflation. Some experts have also prediction a recession is looming.
Mourners who want to bid adieu to the Royal family matriarch, who served 70 years on the throne, continue to wait in miles-long lines to see the queen lie in state.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
People queue in front of Tower Bridge to pay their respect to the late Queen Elizabeth II during the Lying-in State at Westminster Hall in London, early Saturday morning, Sept. 17, 2022. AP Photo/Martin Meissner
Visitors continue to line up to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II, despite a 24-hour wait and cold overnight temperatures.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales walk behind the coffin at the Palace of Westminster after the procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II on September 14, 2022, in London, England. (Nariman El-Mofty-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drama continued into the weekend as it was in clear if the Sussexes would be attending a pre-funeral reception at Buckingham Palace on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who settled in California after stepping down as senior royals in 2020 – initially received an invitation to the Sunday evening reception, but conflicting reports said they were and weren’t expected to attend.
According to the Telegraph, they have now been uninvited because palace officials insist that the reception hosted by King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla is only for working royals, which Harry and Meghan are not.
Yahoo New UK reported, however, that despite the reception originally only being for working members of the royal family, the Sussexes are expected to attend.
Read more on the story by clicking here: Queen Elizabeth II: Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the pre-funeral reception at Buckingham Palace?
Queen Elizabeth II's coffin (Getty Images)
A member of the public reportedly rushed at Queen Elizabeth's coffin and catafalque on Friday.
According to the report, the person was taken to the ground by police and removed from Westminster Hall. The individual also reportedly try to pull the flag off of the queen's casket.
Other mourners at the Lying-In-State reportedly looked shocked as the disruptive scene occurred.
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 17: Bundled up against the cold, members of the public near the end of their 12-hour wait as the queue to see Queen Elizabeth II's casket nears an end outside Westminster Hall in the middle of the night on September 17, 2022 in London, England. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Hundreds of people continue to line up to pay respect to Queen Elizabeth II's coffin as it lies in state on the catafalque at Westminster Hall in London, England.
A live tracker determines the line to get into historic Westminster Hall would take more than 24 hours of waiting to cover the 5 miles. British authorities called a temporary halt Friday as more people continue to extend the miles-long queue.
The British government is warning those who decide to wait that “overnight temperatures will be cold.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
For previous coverage of Queen Elizabeth II and Westminster Hall click here.
Live Coverage begins here