Will the instructions be respected by the different heads of state? The British Foreign Office has sent an official document to world leaders, urging them to sober up on their journey to the Queen’s funeral on Monday 19 September.
‘The Royal Funeral Service encourages the use of commercial flights wherever possible,’ reads the note sent to embassies on September 10, indicating that the British government would pay for guests to travel in VIP class from round trip.
Even more unusual: heads of state should use a bus to get to Westminster Abbey, where the funeral will take place, in the heart of London. Personal vehicles will be left in a West London car park.
Ultra secure device for Joe Biden
However, if the scene can make you smile, it is certain that these instructions will not be respected by some of the heads of state that will make the trip. This is particularly the case for US President Joe Biden.
“He will cross the Atlantic aboard his Air Force 1 presidential plane,” explains Antoine Heulard, BFMTV correspondent in Washington. “There is still an ultra-impressive security protocol, taking a commercial flight is simply impossible. The same once in London, Joe Biden will move in his armored car, his limousine transported up the river by a military flight, the option of the bus not even it was considered”. .”
The procession of the American president during his travels is really impressive, made up of several dozen cars, including a vehicle in charge of blocking communications to prevent the activation of a possible remote bomb. In addition, Joe Biden will be escorted by 400 secret service agents during his stay in London.
presidential planes
Several other embassies have already asked to make an exception to this sobriety protocol, including those of Israel or Japan. Emmanuel Macron will take a plane from the presidency to go to London, in particular to respect his busy schedule for the next few days. On the other hand, for the bus issue, Elysée affirms that the methods are being paralyzed and that nothing has been fixed yet.
On the Spanish side, the royal couple Felipe VI and Letizia will also fly, accompanied by former Queen Sofía and the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“Then the four will go up in one of the five Hawk available to the royal family and the government. But the former King of Spain Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014, resides in Abu Dhabi. He will take a plane there and back, ”explains Mathieu de Taillac, correspondent for BFMTV in Madrid.
The train to Ursula von der Leyen
The good scholars of sobriety are rather on the side of Brussels. The King and Queen of Belgium will travel to London by train, on Eurostar, as will Ursula von der Leye, President of the European Commission, and Charles Michel, President of the Council. They also announced that they will meet the London organization on the spot, suggesting a bus trip through the streets of the capital.
With these very specific instructions, London faces a major security challenge. More than the Olympics or the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, this funeral will arguably be the largest policing and policing operation ever staged in the UK.
Source: BFM TV
