Presidents of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortena, have not been invited to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in London next Monday (19).
This information was revealed today Wednesday (14) from a British government source.
According to British news agency the Press Association, no members of the governments of Venezuela, Afghanistan and Syria were invited.
For Nicaragua and North Korea, only ambassadors were invited — not heads of state — the source said, without providing further details about the other countries.
The UK does not recognize Nicolás Maduro as president, although it maintains minimal diplomatic ties with Caracas. Instead, it appoints opposition leader Juan Guaido as head of state.
The recognition comes in the wake of a long-running dispute in London over which of two political rivals can control the 32 tonnes of gold Venezuela holds in the Bank of England’s vaults. The British judiciary has ruled in favor of Guaidó on several occasions.
Unlike the United States, the United Kingdom has so far not publicly condemned the Nicaraguan regime of President Daniel Ortega.
A British government source has already confirmed press reports in recent days that Russia, Belarus and Burma were not invited to the state funeral of Elizabeth II, who died last Thursday at the age of 96.
The funeral of the Queen, the oldest in UK history, will bring together hundreds of political leaders and representatives of world monarchies from around the world, including US President Joe Biden.
Spain will be represented by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Due to family ties between the two royal families, King Emeritus Juan Carlos and his wife Sofia were also invited, sparking controversy in Spain, where the image of the king, who abdicated in favor of his son in 2014, is highly controversial.
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