Exempt Biden, Macron and the Emperor of Japan from taking the bus at Queen Elizabeth's funeral

Exempt Biden, Macron and the Emperor of Japan from taking the bus at Queen Elizabeth's funeral

The Daily :

Mail reported that some of those invited to attend Queen Elizabeth's Shea, including Presidents Biden and Macron, and Japan's Emperor Naruhito, would not be forced to board the bus to reach the funeral site.

US President Joe Biden, France's Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Emperor Naruhito will be among the leaders who will grant exemptions from the bus "for security reasons" and move around with their own armoured vehicles, according to the newspaper's report.

The travel rules mean Biden will be free to take his armored Cadillac, dubbed the Beast, to Westminster for the official ceremony.

The armoured vehicle was designed to withstand an attack with nuclear, biological or chemical weapons and contained several bags of the President's blood type.

The funeral is taking place on Monday at Westminster Church and King Charles III is scheduled to host world leaders at a reception at Buckingham Palace the night before the funeral.

• The publication claims that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier

• Italian President Sergio Mattarella

• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Israeli President Isaac Herzog are also eager to be exempted.

This follows the publication of a leaked document indicating that all foreign leaders will have to board buses from a secret location in west London to Westminster Abe due to "stringent security measures and road restrictions".

But a government source explained the position to the Times, saying: 

It seems clear that asking the G7 leaders to join the bus would not be suitable.

More than 100 world leaders, heads of state and diplomats are expected to be invited at Britain's first full official funeral since Winston Churchill's death in 1965.

All countries with which Britain maintains diplomatic relations have been invited, including North Korea, which owns an embassy in the west London home.

A British Government source said that senior figures from Russia with an embassy in London had not been invited, nor had Belarus been invited.

Dozens of officials have already indicated that they will take part.

•  including Irish President Michael de Higgins

• Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, and Felipe VI, the monarch of Spain

• But many major nations' leaders have yet to determine their position on participation.

• include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Buckingham Palace retains discretion to extend invitations to those close to the Royal Family.